Fr. Martin: Lady Archers surrenders in second half, loses to Lyceum

When Lady Archers mentor Tyrone Bautista saw his squad collapse in the latter half of their debut pre-season game, he could do only so much about it.

He watched by the sidelines as the Lyceum Lady Pirates demolished the Lady Archers via 30-points, 48-78, last April 22 for the 18^th Father Martin Cup Women’s Division at the San Beda Gym.

“I guess we’re not yet in shape and we lack chemistry. We are still getting to know the roles of the rookies and syncing it with the other girls. The defense wasn’t there,” Coach Bautista shared.

The Lady Archers, known for having a never-say-die attitude, were unable to duplicate the 59-43 victory against the same Lyceum team for the first Filipino-Chinese Basketball League (FCBL) Dickies Cup championship earlier this year.

Instead, the Taft-based cagebelles were plunged further by the Lady Pirates’ offensive execution and rigid defensive stance, limiting them to only nine points in the last quarter.

Parading four rookies and returnees Miller Ong and Cass Santos from anterior cruciate ligament recovery, the Lady Archers also showed poor ball handling, committing 22 turnovers in the process.

After the play commenced from halftime, Lyceum paced the third frame by pouring in 20 baskets while limiting the FCBL titlist to nine markers, five coming from the foul stripe.

The second ten minutes of action mirrored the first, with the Lady Archers entering halftime with a solitary lead courtesy of Miller Ong’s buzzer-beating jump shot, 30-29.

Both teams started with exchanges of baskets and a one-point first quarter lead for the Lady Archers, with rebounding being their bread-and-butter, collecting 43 total team rebounds.

The Lady Pirates, meanwhile, were kept by their accurate shooting–both at the line and around the court.

Former UAAP Rookie of the Year Miller Ong led the Lady Archers with 11 points, six assists and steals, while teammates Kady Wilson and FCBL MVP Ara Abaca registered eight and seven markers accordingly.

“Perhaps, the girls [Lady Archers] felt too good about themselves since we all won the previous tournament [FCBL] before FMC… But this is a nice exposure, and it’s just the start of the tournament. We still have a long way to go. We’ll work on it throughout the tournament,” Coach Bautista ended.

Quarter scores: 15-14, 30-29, 39-49, 48-78