The DLSU Lady Archers won the final game of their season at the expense of the UP Lady Maroons with a score of, 75-72, earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. La Salle managed to end its season with a victory, but the team’s 3-11 standing is not enough for it to reach the Final Four. Playing her last game in the UAAP, team captain Marga Dagdagan was rewarded with a victory, through strong efforts from her and the rest of the team.
Khate Castillo had a monster game, scoring 29 points to go with five boards, two assists, and a steal while Kat Nunez and Charmaine Torres provided some scoring off the bench with 15 and nine points, respectively. Castillo, with her lights-out shooting, kept the Lady Archers within striking distance throughout the whole game, while Dagdagan made the game-changing three-pointer which gave La Salle its biggest lead of the game of nine points.
The Lady Maroons had their chances to win but could not capitalize in crucial moments. In the losing effort, UP had four players in double figures. Therese Medina had 16 points and 12 boards, while Iriss Isip, Lou Ordoveza, and Marian Domingo each had 13 points in the game.
A back-and-forth affair
It was a game of runs for the two squads. Bernice Paraiso opened the game with a jumper then, without hesitation, UP got their first basket with a three-pointer. Castillo answered back with a three-pointer of her own but UP would eventually go on an 8-0 run, highlighted by six straight points from Lou Ordoveza. With 5:05 left in the first quarter, Coach Cholo Villanueva called timeout to re-discuss the team’s game plan. After trading baskets, La Salle went on a run of its own to end the first quarter at 19-18, trimming UP’s lead down to one.
“We need to be aggressive. There is no aggressiveness when we attack and there’s no aggressiveness on defense,” said Coach Cholo Villanueva
La Salle intensified its defense in the second quarter, holding UP to just 15 points. Both teams had their fair share of turnovers, but La Salle was able to convert more points off the errors. At the expense of playing with a smaller lineup, UP was able to gather more offensive rebounds but fell into a scoring drought. Both Castillo and Nunez made the most out of UP’s dry spell by scoring eight and six points, respectively, giving La Salle the lead at the end of the first half, 38-33.
Entering the second half with a five point lead, UP switched its game plan by scoring more inside. Daphne Esplana would immediately tie the game at 40-all, but Alyanna Vergara kept La Salle in the lead by two points, with 8:09 left in the third period. It was a team effort for UP to regain the lead at 56-53 but Vergara kept La Salle’s hopes of winning alive by scoring seven big points to keep UP’s lead down to just three before entering the fourth quarter.
Big in the clutch
Providing a spark off the bench, La Salle’s Torres was able to hit a tough lay-up which gave La Salle enough momentum to go on a run. Leading by just one point, Castillo was able to nail a three-pointer to give La Salle a four-point lead, causing the Lady Maroons to call timeout with 4:29 left in the game.
It was La Salle’s game from here on out.
After a Dagdagan dagger three-pointer, La Salle eventually led by as much as nine points with 1:31 left in the game. UP, however, would not go down without a fight. La Salle committed crucial turnovers down the stretch, cutting their lead down to three but UP was not able to capitalize and failed to make the game-tying three-pointer which would have sent the game to overtime.
Key stats
UP was dominant on the boards, outrebounding La Salle, 43-36. Despite the difference in rebounding, it was their inability to take care of the ball that gave La Salle 21 points off their 25 turnovers. La Salle’s 29 bench points and 47 perimeter points were the key factors in this game.
The Lady Archers’ season is now over after being unable to return to the Final Four, finishing Season 80 with just three wins and eleven losses.
The scores:
DLSU 75 – Castillo 29, Nunez 15, Torres 9, Dagdagan 8, Vergara 7, Paraiso 5, Jimenez 2, Figueroa 0, Javier 0, Del Campo 0
UP 72 – Medina 16, Isip 13, Ordoveza 13, Domingo 13, Esplana 8, Bascon 3, Rodas, 2, Tan 2, Lapid 2, Pesquera 0, Ongsiako 0
Quarter Scores:
18-19, 38-34, 53-56, 75-72
