The DLSU Lady Archers wasted no time in their quest for a championship as they erased a huge deficit in the first half to defeat the UST Lady Tigresses, 81-74, in a thrilling overtime win. Camille Claro hit the game-tying three point shot to force an extra five minutes, tying the scoreline at 66 apiece.
Heading into overtime, the Lady Archers’ confidence was overwhelming as they exploded and scored 15 points in the five minute period as opposed to UST’s eight to advance to the UAAP finals for the second straight season.
Trisha Piatos led her team with a game-high 28 points, highlighted by six three point shots on 50 percent shooting. She completed her stellar all-around game adding six rebounds and three assists. Claro added 16 points and seven rebounds while MVP candidate Ara Abaca led the frontline with 14 points and 16 rebounds as DLSU dominated UST in the rebounding department by 17, 65-48.
The Lady Tigresses were led by Kim Reyes and Lora Rivera who had 17 and 16 points respectively.
The UST squad looked determined to extend the series to another game. The Espana-based squad bothered DLSU with their sticky defense in the first two quarters and the Lady Archers were unable to establish their usual offensive rhythm, leading to subsequent turnovers and errors.
The squad from Taft looked down and out as UST controlled the offensive end and the Tigresses staggered La Salle to close the half up by 15 points, 39-24.
Slowly but surely, head coach Tyrone Bautista’s squad chipped their counterparts’ huge lead. The holes in UST’s defense were evident as the Lady Archers started firing one shot after another. A total of 24 points in the third quarter in contrast to UST’s meager 12-point output spelled the beginning of the comeback by the Taft-based cagebelles. With the quarter ending at a score of 51-48, the strong third period of the Lady Archers saw them just a few inches behind their foes.
The Lady Archers get a trip back to the UAAP finals with the win. They made it to the same stage last year, but their title hopes were crushed by the now-eliminated FEU Lady Tamaraws. The Green-and-White squad is looking for their first championship since 2002, when they captured a four-peat, the first three of which came under the watchful eye of the current head coach of the Green Archers, Juno Sauler.
Game one of the finals is set on September 28, Saturday, at 9 am in the Mall of Asia Arena where they will battle the winner of the rubber match between the NU Lady Bulldogs and the AdU Lady Falcons.
The scores:
DLSU 81: Piatos 28, Claro 16, Abaca 14, Santos 8, Ong M. 5, Vergara 2, Ramos 2, Melendres 2, Garcia 2, Corcuera 2, Ong A. 0
UST 74:Reyes 17, Rivera 16, Cortes 13, Ong Jeannine 9, Magdaluyo 5, Feisarta 5, Salvador 4, Mejia 3, Angeles 2
Quarter Scores: 12-21, 24-39, 48-51, 66-66, 81-74 (OT)
