UAAP: Lady Archers overcome slow start, fend off Lady Falcons, 69-61

After a tightly contested first half, the DLSU Lady Archers were able to hold off the AdU Lady Falcons, 69-61, improving their record to 4-1. Camille Claro led all scorers in the game with 14 points along with four steals. Jamie Roxas also played a vital role in the winning effort, recording 12 points and eight rebounds, three of which were on the offensive end.

Jamie Alcoy and Rose Rosario led the Lady Falcons with nine points each, with the prior scoring all of her points on three-pointers, going 43 percent from distance. Jonalyn Lacson, Jo Razalo, and Mariz Cacho were the second best leading scorers for AdU,  scoring seven points each in the their defeat to La Salle.

Slow Start

It was a slow start for both teams in terms of intensity. DLSU was having trouble in terms of fouls and taking care of the basketball. However, the Green-and-White was dominant on the boards from the get-go, recording 32 out of their 58 rebounds in the first half. Of the 58 rebounds collected, 21 also came from the offensive end.

The Lady Archers were not able to fully breakdown the defense of the Lady Falcons, shooting only 25.58 percent from the floor, collectively. Claro and Roxas led the team offensively in the first half. “They [Claro & Roxas] had less playing time today, but they were more efficient on the court,” shared Coach Cholo Villanueva.

Second half turnaround

The turnaround in the second half was apparent in the third quarter, with the Lady Archers blazing off to a 17-1 run early on as a result of their stifling defense. DLSU pounced on the opportunity, outscoring AdU, 26-10, in the third period alone. “We’re not the same team from last year. We’re not an Ara Abaca driven team, Camille Claro driven team, or a Snow Penaranda team. All five guys have their roles. You need all five guys to make a point and play team defense also,” said Head Coach Cholo Villanueva.

With the big lead put up by the team, Villanueva was able to rest his starters and go to his bench players. With this, the Lady Archers’ intensity wavered, allowing the Lady Falcons to outscore them, 25-9, in the fourth quarter, thus trimming their lead to single digits.

Pau Vela and Jamie Roxas suffered ankle sprains, but will be able to play in the coming games. Villanueva mentioned the injuries may be a result of their back-to-back games, and they will look to freshen up before their next assignment.

Next, the Lady Archers, will go head-to-head with the UE Lady Warriors on Wednesday, September 28, 10 am at the Mall of Asia Arena.