UAAP: Lady Archers bow to FEU in do-or-die semis

The DLSU Lady Archers were foiled in their quest for back-to-back championships after they fell to the FEU Lady Tamaraws in overtime, 81-80. FEU overcame La Salle’s twice-to-beat edge in the semifinals to book a ticket back to the finals, after missing an appearance last season.

Trisha Piatos led the Lady Archers with 18 points, three rebounds, and five assists. Camille Claro also notched 18 points, alongside Alyanna Ong who scored 15 markers.

Meanwhile, FEU’s April Siat scored a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, including the dagger basket with less than 10 seconds left in overtime.

The first quarter opened with both squads running on a slow offense. Missed opportunities hounded the two teams, but with each squad having an immediate answer to every basket by the opponent, the opening quarter ended with a close 15-14 scoring.
Things started to favor the Lady Archers more in the second period though, with Piatos launching an immediate jumper merely a few seconds after the quarter opened. A triple by Claro was able to extend the La Salle lead to seven points, 25-18, with 6:57 left. However, turnovers on the part of the Lady Archers enabled the Lady Archers to keep close, 25-22, with 5:17 left. Four straight baskets by Santos and a triple from Piatos ignited a 7-0 run for DLSU, leading to a 32-24 edge with 2:28 left. The Lady Archers concluded the first half with a six point advantage, 36-30.

The third period started on a high note for the Lady Archers with an early 5-0 run courtesy of Piatos and Ong. Both squads were able to answer each other’s basket, though FEU was unable to close the gap. The quarter ended with a 50-44 advantage for DLSU after a Jonah Melendres buzzer-beating jumper.

The fourth period started to favor FEU offensively as the Lady Tamaraws were able to pull several mini-runs within the period. Clutch plays by FEU’s Siat tied the game for a couple of times within the period. And as the game was tied at 71-all with merely 9.9 seconds left in regulation, La Salle was unable to convert in the last possession, sending the game to overtime.

A. Ong opened the scoring in overtime with a triple, but FEU’s Siat answered with a jumper of her own. A. Ong launched a three once again at the 1:20 mark to give DLSU a 77-75 lead. It was a see-saw scoring affair down to the last minute, until Siat tied the game at 79-all with 42.5 seconds left. Piatos split at the foul line, which gave FEU the opportunity to finally take the lead via a Siat dagger jumper, 81-80. Unable to convert in the final play, the Lady Archers were edged by FEU at a final score of 81-80.

The Scores:
FEU 81: Siat- 24, Tanaman- 16, Castro-16, Valenzona- 11, Arellano- 6, Ventura- 4, Chan- 2, Baldonado- 2, Gabriel- 0

DLSU 80: Piatos- 18, Claro- 18, A. Ong- 15, Santos- 10, M. Ong- 8, Mellendres- 6, Garcia- 2, Vergara- 2, Corcuera- 1, Oyao- 0, Castillo- 0

Quarter Scores: 14-15, 30-36, 44-50, 71-71, 81-80