The DLSU Lady Archers failed to bounce back from their devastating loss against the FEU Lady Tamaraws and bowed to the defending champions, the NU Lady Bulldogs, 93-77. The Lady Bulldogs’ top scorers, Jack Animam, Gemmar Miranda, and Afril Bernardino, combined for 69 points. Animam was dominant on both ends of the court, recording 25 points, 22 rebounds, 15 of which were on the offensive end, and four blocks. Camille Claro, in the losing effort of DLSU, finished with 21 rebounds, five rebounds, and four assists.
First half
Both teams played with intensity from the get-go, looking for open shots near the rim. The Lady Archers kept the game close and acquired the lead at one point in the quarter. The Lady Bulldogs retaliated to La Salle’s offense with great defense and finished the first quarter leading, 25-20.
At the start of the second quarter, however, the Lady Archers’ second unit was unable to keep up with their NU counterparts. The latter opened the quarter with a 20-5 run. Both teams’ difference in size began to show as the Lady Bulldogs garnered 34 rebounds while La Salle was only able to record nine in the half. This proved to be fatal for DLSU as the Green-and-White was unable to prevent NU from scoring second chance points. On the defensive end, DLSU was unable to keep up with NU’s offense in the paint, as the disparity with regards to strength in the middle was apparent, with the Lady Bulldogs outscoring the Lady Archers, 32-12, in the paint at the half. At halftime, NU led DLSU by 20 points, 53-33.
Second half
After the break, the Lady Archers adjusted their defensive sets, but were unable to produce enough offense to get back in the game. With the tough inside presence of the Lady Bulldogs in the paint, DLSU was forced to take more field goals from the perimeter. La Salle shot 42 percent from behind the three-point line while NU only made 18 percent of its three-point attempts. DLSU was still unable to get a foothold and trailed NU, 77-52, going into the third.
The Lady Archers only scored 30 points in the paint while the Lady Bulldogs scored twice as many, punishing the former with 60 points inside. Claro and Chay Vergara, who scored 13 points, were the only bright spots for DLSU as the rest of the team was unable to get on a consistent rhythm offensively. NU led by as many as 31 points while DLSU was only able to lead by three points. La Salle began to find its offensive rhythm in the last minutes of the quarter, but it was too late as NU recorded its 12th victory of the season with a 93-77 win.
Next up for the Lady Archers are the UE Red Warriors on Saturday, November 5, at 10 am at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The scores:
NU 93– Animam 25, Miranda 23, Bernardino 21, Itesi 10, Ceno 5, Harada 3, Camelo 3, Del Carmen 2, Nabalan 1, Layug 0, Lopez 0, Taneza 0, Malana 0, Rebadulla 0
DLSU 77– Claro-21, Vergara 13, Arciga 11, Nunez 10, Roxas 7, Castillo 5, Figueroa 4, Vela 2, Penaranda 2, Revillosa 2, Dagdagan 0, Javier 0
Quarter scores: 25-20, 53-33, 77-52, 93-77
