UAAP: Lady Archers open Season 78 against tough NU squad

The DLSU Lady Archers will start their UAAP Season 78 campaign against last year’s champions, the National University Lady Bulldogs this Tuesday, 8 am at the Mall of Asia Arena. This game will be the first game for the Taft-based squad in almost a year due to the calendar shift implemented by the UAAP.

The last time these two powerhouses met was in the second round of Season 77, when the Lady Bulldogs narrowly escaped with a 75-71 win. NU’s Gemma Miranda had a big game with 23 points on 10 of 14 shooting, while her teammate Shelley Gupilan added 12, including two clutch free throws that sealed the game for the Lady Bulldogs. Trisha Piatos provided the scoring for DLSU with 15 points, while Jonah Melendres added 14 markers of her own in La Salle’s losing effort.

With the game’s result, NU completed an elimination round sweep, captured a thrice-to-beat advantage in the finals, and eventually won the championship against the FEU Lady Tamaraws.

Coming into the season, the Lady Archers had key changes in their line-up as well as their coaching staff. They will have a totally different back court with the departure of guards Piatos and last year’s team captain, Miller Ong. The Green-and-White will now depend on the leadership of their senior players such as new team captain Alyanna Ong and returning player Ara Abaca.

“Siyempre sobrang laking kawalan sila Trisha [Piatos],” says Alyanna Ong, explaining that Piatos had been their Finals MVP. “Si Miller actually captain siya for two years [so] medyo nasanay kami sa kanya. I think now yung team namin less talented since ang dami talagang gumraduate, na iyon talaga ang mga seniors na inaasahan namin.”

La Salle also had a major change in their coaching staff with former Green Archer and Finals MVP Cholo Villanueva now in charge. “Yung pinaka gusto niyang i-implement is yung discipline. Kasi lahat ng ginagawa namin, sa defense at offense, is all about discipline,” explains Ong. “Siyempre, free naman kami gumawa ng kung anong gusto namin pero kailangan under his system pa rin.”

The NU Lady Bulldogs, on the other hand, are still pegged as one of this season’s top contenders, given that they still sport the same line-up from last year, with all of the players in last year’s roster remaining eligible for this season.