With their performance in Game 1, the DLSU Lady Archers were hoping to pull off a similar effort in Game 2 in order to extend the championship series. Yet, despite their best efforts, the NU Lady Bulldogs dominated on both ends of the floor with a strong third quarter to take down the Lady Archers, 96-72, earlier today in the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With the win, NU clinched its third straight championship dating back to 2014 while also extending their unbeaten run to 47 games.
Finals MVP Gemma Miranda led NU with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists, while league MVP Afril Bernardino added 18 points, six rebounds, and nine assists.
Khate Castillo topscored for DLSU with 15 points, while Johanna Arciga added 14 points before fouling out. Snow Peñaranda rounded out the DLSU double-figure scorers with 13 points and added 11 rebounds in the loss.
Lady Bulldogs gain control early
NU drew first blood by scoring the game’s first two baskets only to see Kat Nuñez and Camille Claro tie the game at 5-all with 7:36 left in the opening quarter. Bernardino, who only had 10 points in Game 1, was more aggressive as she helped the Lady Bulldogs break the deadlock and take a 20-13 lead with 2:15 left in the first quarter.
La Salle would continue to have no answer for NU as they fell behind by double-digits, 24-13, with a minute left in the first quarter. Both teams would trade baskets and by quarter’s end, the Lady Bulldogs’ lead remained at 11, 26-15.
The second quarter saw DLSU struggle to replicate its efforts in the second quarter of Game 1 as NU continued to hold a double-digit lead. Peñaranda and the rest of the Lady Archers would try to crawl back, but NU extended its lead to as many as 21 points, 49-28, with two minutes left in the first half.
Arciga would go on to score eight straight points to cut the DLSU deficit to 13 points, 49-36, with 1:20 left in the first half. Unfortunately, she picked up her fourth foul in the closing seconds of the first half.
DLSU’s offensive struggles
The Lady Archers struggled coming out of the halftime break as they let NU go on a 13-0 run prior to a basket from Castillo with 6:03 left in the third quarter. During that stretch, Peñaranda was the only other scorer as NU’s lead ballooned to 29 points, 71-42, with 3:29 left in the third quarter.
NU relied on its crisp passing to move the ball effectively, resulting in a massive run that saw Rai Nabalam more than double her first-half output of seven points.
Despite their best efforts, the Lady Archers could not get a clean look at the basket. As a result, they only managed to score nine points while allowing NU to score 26 in the third quarter.
Chay Vergara knocked down a three-pointer with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter hoping to ignite a DLSU run. However, the Lady Bulldogs continued to pound the ball inside, extending their lead to as many as 40 points, 90-50, at the six-minute mark of the final quarter.
The Lady Archers managed to cut the lead to 30, 90-60, but Miranda continued to keep the offense running for the Lady Bulldogs even with a sizable margin in their favor.
DLSU finished with 35 rebounds but was badly beaten in that department, as NU came away with 61 rebounds, 23 of which came from the offensive end. La Salle managed to force NU to commit 23 turnovers while committing only 17, but the Lady Bulldogs had five blocks, while DLSU had none.
The Lady Archers will finish Season 79 in second place, a notch higher than their third-place finishes in the past two seasons. Despite being swept, La Salle has the distinction of being able to stay closest to NU, after losing to the Lady Bulldogs by only three points in Game One.
The Scores:
NU 96 – Miranda 25, Bernardino 18, Animam 16, Nabalan 15, Camelo 9, Itesi 8, Del Carmen 3, Layug 2, Harada 0, Ceno 0
DLSU 72 – Castillo 15, Arciga 14, Peñaranda 13, Claro 9, Nuñez 7, Vergara 7, Gonzales 4, Dagdagan 3, Revillosa 0, Vela 0, Javier 0
Quarter scores: 26-15, 52-38, 78-47, 96-72
