DESPITE THEIR second half struggles, the Ateneo Lady Eagles did enough to stave off defeat, 61-56, against the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons on Friday, July 12 at the Blue Eagle Gym, Quezon City.
The Lady Eagles finished the 2019 Women’s Basketball Invitational at third place with their second victory over UP in as many games.
Jhazmin Joson spearheaded the Lady Eagles’ offense with 15 points on a 6/11 shooting clip on top of six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Katrina Guytingco poured in nine points, six rebounds, and four assists while Hazelle Yam chipped in with seven markers, three rebounds, and three assists.
For the Lady Maroons, Justine Domingo posted 14 points on 6/10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Stiffany Larrosa racked up 11 points while Rhea Sanchez and Jonalyn Lebico scored seven apiece, with the latter hauling in six boards.
The Lady Maroons’ execution on offense sprung the team to an early lead. However, UP began to miss as the Lady Eagles steadily gained control courtesy of Zoe Chu’s effort on the defensive glass. Joson found Yam and Nicole Cancio open in the fast break multiple times as the quarter ended in favor of the Blue and White, 16-14.
The Lady Eagles ran a post-up play for Joson to open the second period and she delivered with a faceup jumper that brought the score to 18-16. Moments later, she played the role of distributor, finding Yam on the baseline cut for the easy basket.
Towards the end of the second, Villamor and Payac hit back-to-back triples that sparked a 15-0 run for the Lady Eagles. Joson capped off the incredible scoring spree with a pull-up three off a screen that gave Ateneo a 39-26 lead heading into halftime.
Both squads came out full of energy to begin the third. Ateneo and UP both elected to play in transition, but it was the Lady Maroons that benefited from the fast pace. State U managed to trim down their deficit to just five, 41-46, as a result of the quick pace of play.
Domingo led the comeback effort for the Lady Maroons with a pair of and-one plays and a putback. She again made her presence felt with a side-step, lefty layup, that cut Ateneo’s lead to six by the end of the third frame.
The play of both Katipunan teams were characterized by struggles on the offensive end, as the scoreline read 57-50 with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth. Nimes hit a much needed three-pointer for the Ateneo off a quick ball swing from Guytingco, giving them a 60-52 lead with 2:52 left on the game clock.
However, back-to-back baskets by Domingo set the game for a dramatic finish with the score at 60-56. State U again went to Domingo in search for the elusive basket, but Yam’s defensive work proved vital as Ateneo held on to cement a third place finish in the preseason tournament.
Head Coach Kat Quimpo mentioned the Lady Eagles’ repeated second half slumps as a key point for improvement heading into University Athletics Association of the Philippines Season 82. “We saw it as a trend, at least, in this tournament. We need to recognize that we need to come out strong in the second half, which we haven’t been doing,” Quimpo shared.
Coach Quimpo added that the 2019 Women’s Invitational Tournament will be the last league that the Ateneo Lady Eagles will participate in before the start of UAAP Season 82. “After this, there [are no more tournaments],” Quimpo said. “We’ve played in so many games already in the last three months that started with the pocket tournament in Macau.”
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UP: 16-14, 39-26, 53-47, 61-56
Box score:
Ateneo (61): Joson 15, Guytingco 9, Yam 7, De Dios 6, Nimes 5, Payac 5, Cancio 4, Villamor 4, Chu 2, Moslares 2, Newsome 2, Aquisap 0
UP (56): Domingo 14, Larrosa 11, Lebico 7, Sanchez 7, de Leon 6, Pesquera 5, Ordoveza 4, Gonzales 2, Rivera 0, Hidalgo 0, Lucman 0
