If their male counterparts broke blue hearts all over Katipunan, the Lady Archers made sure to do the same. The Lady Archer’s risk of shooting at long range paid off, as the La Salle found their touch in the right time, defeating the Lady Eagles 64-60, on August 7, at the Filoil Arena.

Ateneo was bogged down by La Salle’s press early in the first. Sarah Mercado, who usually comes out strong, was limited in scoring, while the Lady Archers frontcourt of Kady Wilson and Cassandra Santos denied Ateneo in the post, leading to a poor scoring quarter for the Lady Eagles, 7-17.

La Salle picked up in the second, hitting jumper after jumper. In similar fashion to its game with Adamson, Ateneo had issues with its ball-handling. Mercado, however, managed to find crafty ways to score, as Ateneo tried to catch up, ending the quarter 19-34.

In the third, the Lady Archers took their foot off the gas. Lady Eagles rookie, Allyssa Dogong took advantage, scoring on two nifty lay-ups that ignited a late run. Ateneo’s defense limited La Salle to only nine points, partly due to La Salle coach Tyrone Bautista struggling with his line-ups and playing his reserves early. Ateneo trimmed the La Salle lead to eight by the end of the third, 35-43.

The fourth quarter saw La Salle being pressured and Ateneo picking up steam. In the latter half of the quarter, the Lady Eagles found a steady groove. Caterina Lopa and Jennifer Dimaano hit clutch threes but Ateneo couldn’t sink any crucial free throws as they were unable to grab the lead as the game went into overtime, 49-49.

La Salle regained their first half form in overtime, wisely deciding to play their tall frontcourt while utilizing their shooters. They preyed on a tired Ateneo lineup, with Valerie Chua, Dogong, and Mercado all exhausted by the time La Salle had caught up. An Aileen Urieta clutch three for La Salle closed the game at 64-60.

The Lady Eagles next take on the UP Lady Maroons for their final game in the first round on August 10 at the Filoil Arena.

QUARTER SCORING: 10-17, 19-34, 49-49, 64-60