UAAP: Piatos lifts Lady Archers to season sweep of UE

The DLSU Lady Archers relied on a dominant second quarter performance to sweep their series with the University of the East Lady Warriors, 78-52, in their first game in the SMART-Araneta Coliseum this season.

Trisha Piatos flashed her old form as she torched UE for 20 markers, on 6/8 shooting from beyond the arc in 17 minutes to lead La Salle. Seven other players scored at least five points in the game for the Green-and-White, wreaking havoc on their opponents’ defense. Among those who played, only Nicole Garcia was unable to score a point for DLSU.

The Lady Warriors were spearheaded by Danice Llosala’s 17 points while Ruthlaine Tacula added 12 markers and 10 boards for a double-double. Chery Ano-os, who led UE in scoring in their previous encounter with DLSU, was held to seven points on a miserable 3-of-17 shooting from the field.

The game was initially close during the first quarter, with the Recto-based cagebelles having a 4-3 lead after the first four minutes. However, Martina Lumba would score on a three-point play to ignite an 11-0 run, giving La Salle a 15-4 lead. The opening canto ended with an 18-10 score in favor of DLSU.

In the second quarter, the Lady Archers crippled this season’s host with an 18-4 run, ballooning their lead to 36-14 halfway through the period. The Lady Warriors struggled with turnovers after several travelling violations and poor shot selections due to the Taft-based squad’s stingy defense. The Lady Archers finished the first half with a comfortable 37-20 lead.

It was the Trisha Piatos show in the third period as she took over the scoring cudgels. She scored 11 of the team’s first 13 points, with three straight shots from rainbow country in a span of two minutes. UE had no answer to La Salle’s three-point barrage, allowing five of them in the third quarter alone.

Marred by foul trouble and poor shooting, the Lady Warriors could no longer muster up a fight in the fourth. The Lady Archers had their biggest lead in the game at 28 points in the period.

Overall, the Taft-based cagebelles shot an impressive 12 of 22 from three point range, dished out 24 assists, and only turned the ball over twice during the game. No DLSU player stayed on the court for more than 21 minutes. The season hosts, on the other hand, shot a woeful 24.32 percent from the field and had 23 turnovers compared to six assists.

Up next for the La Salle is the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons on September 3, Wednesday, at the Araneta Coliseum.

The scores

DLSU (78): Piatos 20, Roxas 9, Vegara 7, Lumba 6, Melendres 6, Oyao 6, Scott 5, Castillo 5, A. Ong 4, Claro 3, Concuera 3, Pineda 3, M. Ong 1, Garcia 0.

UE (52): Lloasala 17, Tacula 12, Chan 9, Ano-os 7, Sto. Domingo 5, Medina 2, Gayacao 0, Bale 0, Sampaga 0.

Quarter Scores: 18-10, 37-20, 64-37, 78-52