UAAP: NU cruises past Lady Archers, takes solo lead

In a rematch of last year’s finals series, the NU Lady Bulldogs crushed the DLSU Lady Archers, 77-55, to avenge their finals loss the previous year at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.

Gemma Miranda led the offensive onslaught for the Lady Bulldogs with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Afril Bernardino chipped in 17, while Andrea Tongco and Trixie Antiquiera each added 11 markers in a game wherein they never relinquished the lead.

Camille Claro was the lone double digit scorer for the Green-and-White with 11 points.

NU dominated the entire game from start to finish, outscoring DLSU in all quarters. They led by double digits by the end of the second quarter and never looked back. They utilized their size down the low block as they also won the rebound battle, 50-41, with 26 coming off the offensive end. This rebounding advantage gave them 21 more shot attempts than their Taft-based counterparts.

The Lady Archers attempted several comebacks in the second half, trimming the lead to 13 points midway through the third quarter. The Lady Bulldogs, however, had an answer to every bucket the La Salle scored afterwards, quashing any hope of a fight back.

With the game’s result, NU remains the only undefeated team in the season with an immaculate 7-0 win-loss record. La Salle will end the first round in second place with a 6-1 record.

The scores:

NU 77: Miranda 20, Bernardino 17, Tongco 11, Antiquiera 11, Gupilan 5, Abriam 4, Nabalan 4, Escoto 3, Sison 2, Paig 0, Castro 0, Layug 0, Seno 0, Villegas 0, Maghibon 0.

DLSU 55: Claro 11, Concuera 9, A. Ong 7, Piatos 6, Garcia 5, M. Ong 4, Oyao 4, Santos 3, Mellendres 2, Vergara 2, Scott 2.

Quarter Scores: 23-14, 18-11, 18-16, 18-14