DESPITE THE incredible double-double performance of Cara Buendia, the Ateneo Lady Eagles suffered their second consecutive defeat in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81, falling to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, 44-54, on Wednesday, September 26 at the Blue Eagle Gym.

Buendia topped the Lady Eagles with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and three steals. Backstopping her was Nicole Cancio with nine points and four rebounds.

Their combined might however could not prevent FEU’s offensive romps in the first half. Valerie Mamaril could do no wrong, racking up 20 points behind impeccable 12/15 shooting from the line.

“They outhustled us on defense, and the rebounds as well. I think that cost us the game,” said Buendia

The Lady Tamaraws were quick to set the tone of the game, pulling a 4-0 run to start the contest.

Minutes later, Ateneo went right back at FEU, showing their offensive might through veterans Jollina Go and Buendia to cut the lead within a single basket, 7-9. However, the Tamaraws remained calm, stretching their lead with a 2-6 run to end the opening period ahead by six, 9-15.

The Blue and White were again held back by the Lady Tamaraws to start the second frame as they faced a 9-20 deficit early on. Both teams then traded baskets as the quarter went on, with Ateneo sinking an inside bucket followed by an FEU layup on the other end. The Lady Eagles managed to trim the Lady Tamaraws’ lead to single digits through a pair of Buendia’s charity shots, ending the first half, 18-26.

After the break, the Lady Eagles came out full of energy as they tried to close the gap. Buendia led the fightback with five points in succession to put FEU within touching distance, 23-27. However, Ateneo got into an offensive slump midway through the quarter and the Lady Tamaraws were able to capitalize. By the end of the third period, they ballooned their lead to 13 points, 28-41.

FEU continued to deploy their battle strategy to pressure Ateneo in the paint by handing the ball to their 6’4” center, Clare Castro, giving her control of the hardwood and frustrating the Lady Eagle frontcourt.

“If we ever drive inside, we’re going to get blocked, so what we do is we try to bring her out,” said Buendia. “In the first half, not a lot of shots were falling in, so we lacked that and we lacked more aggressiveness as well.”

The Katipunan-based side showed a lot of courage and spirit in their comeback attempt. The Lady Eagles were able to trim their opponent’s lead to four, 37-41, on the back of Nimes’ 5-0 run as the team went on a 9-0 explosion halfway through the quarter.

However, Ateneo’s unforced turnovers afterwards allowed FEU to take a hold of the pace of the game. The Lady Tamaraws ultimately saw out the win, 44-54, as the Lady Eagles drop to a 2-2 record.

Ateneo will attempt to bounce back against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses this Sunday, September 30 at 3:00PM at the Blue Eagle Gym.

Quarter Scores

Ateneo-FEU: 9-15, 18-26, 28-41, 44-54

Box Score:

Ateneo (44): Buendia 15, Cancio 9, Guytingco 7, Nimes 5, Joson 2, Villamor 2, Newsome 2, Go 2, Miranda 0, Payac 0, Chu 0, Gino-Gino 0.

FEU (54): Mamaril 20, Castro 9, Quiapo 8, Antiola 5, Taguiam 5, Bahuyan 4, Adriano 2, Vidal 1, Payadon 0, Bastatas 0, Abat 0.