THE ATENEO Lady Eagles lost to archrivals De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, 60-71, in their final game of University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79 Women’s Basketball tournament on Tuesday, November 15 at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Khate Castillo led the way for La Salle with 22 points, including five triples, and seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Snow Penaranda notched a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
On the side of the Lady Eagles, Hazelle Yam top scored with 13 points followed by Katrina Guytingco who nabbed 10 markers. Melissa Newsome also contributed six points and 15 rebounds for the Blue and White.
In the first quarter, after going down 7-13, Ateneo went on an 8-0 run through back-to-back triples by Binky Uy De Ong and a bucket by Melissa Newsome to lead with a score of 15-13. Castillo then hit her third triple of the quarter to put the Lady Archers ahead, 15-16, at the end of the period.
Ateneo was able to take a 3-point lead (29-26) in the second period through charities by Newsome. DLSU then went on a 5-0 run through another three-pointer by Castillo and free throws by Penaranda. Although Yam and Cancio both split their charities to tie the score at 31-all, La Salle went on a 7-0 run capped of by a Marga Dagdagan triple as Ateneo trailed at the half, 31-38.
La Salle pulled away in the third quarter as the Lady Archers opened up a double-digit lead (39-51) forcing Ateneo coach John Flores to call a timeout with 5:42 left in the quarter. After a short jumper by Akiko Tomita, Castillo was able to hit another triple to give the Lady Archers a 45-69 lead going into the final period.
A steal and finish by Alyssa Villamor helped the Lady Eagles cut the deficit to nine in the final period at 52-61. The Lady Archers then put together eight straight points through Penadara, Kat Nunez, and Chay Vergara to bring the deficit to 17— the largest of the game— at the score of 52-69 . The Lady Eagles then went on an 8-2 run to end the game with a final score, 60-71.
When asked about the team’s overall performance this season, Coach Flores mentioned there was a lack of “toughness” and “consistency”. “With toughness comes the desire and [a] level of commitment. If we are tougher, we [will] be able to really pursue the commitment that is requried of a very good team,” said Flores .
With the loss, the Lady Eagles end the season with a 4-10 record, as they fail to defend their podium finish title this UAAP Season 79.
Quarter Scores: (Ateneo-DLSU) 15-16, 31-38, 45-59, 60-71
Box Scores:
Ateneo: Yam- 13, Guytingco- 10, Uy De Ong- 9, Cancio- 7, Newsome- 6, Tomita- 6, Villamor- 5, Go- 2, Deacon- 2
DLSU: Castillo- 22, Penaranda- 17, Claro- 13, Arciga- 8, Nunez- 4, Dagdagan- 3, Vela- 2, Vergara- 2
