THE ATENEO Lady Eagles (2-0) defeated the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, 92-90, in their second game of the first round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday, September 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The win gives Ateneo a spotless 2-0 slate in the UAAP Season 82 Women’s Basketball tournament, with UE dropping to a 1-1 record.
Alyssa Villamor led Ateneo with 20 points, hauling in nine rebounds and draining five triples. Zoe Chu also logged a standout performance, finishing with a double-double of 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Kent Pastrana’s 21 markers led the way for the Lady Archers, while Maureen Okoli made her mark inside with 19 points and 19 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive glass.
The Lady Eagles came out blazing and jumped out to a 20-11 lead midway through the first quarter. La Salle quickly bounced back with an 18-6 run and held off Ateneo to take a seven point lead into half-time, 52-45.
Ateneo roared back after the break, pouring in a 14-2 run fueled by the hot shooting of Villamor and Melissa Newsome, and entered the final period with a 14 point cushion. However, the Lady Archers did not go down without a fight. Their defense stole back momentum and brought them within two with 17.7 seconds remaining. On the final play, Hazelle Yam smothered Pastrana’s potential game-tying jumper, sealing the game for Ateneo.
The Lady Eagles shot a respectable 42% from the field, including 12 made three pointers. But for Lady Eagles Head Coach Katrina Quimpo it was their full-court press in the second half that made the difference. “We had to be more relentless and more aggressive because La Salle came out pressing,” Quimpo said.
Quimpo also felt that the way Ateneo won was more important than who they won against.
“It’s not that La Salle is our ‘rival’ school, but we know that La Salle plays really well. La Salle plays a similar game and this gives us an affirmation of how we play our game. We also run a lot. We also shoot a lot from the outside. We wanna play aggressive. We wanna press and defend and that’s what we did,” Quimpo explained. “We outplayed La Salle today in that type of game.”
Next up for the Lady Eagles is a matchup against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses on Wednesday, September 11, 8:00 AM, at the Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-La Salle: 26-30, 45-52, 77-63, 92-90
Box Score:
Ateneo (92): Villamor – 20, Guytingco – 15, Newsome – 14, Yam – 14, Chu – 11, Joson – 10, Nimes – 8, Cancio – 0, Payac – 0, Moslares – 0, De Dios – 0, Villacruz – 0, Aquisap – 0
La Salle (90): Pastrana – 21, Okoli – 19, Sario – 15, Espinas – 7, Binaohan – 6, Quingco – 6, Del Ocampo – 5, Torres – 5, Paraiso – 4, Revillosa – 2, Dalisay – 0
