The DLSU Lady Archers eased past the UP Lady Maroons, 78-47, earlier today at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion. The Taft-based squad played in dominant fashion to win their UAAP Season 82 opening game.
Rookie Kent Pastrana led the Lady Archers past the UP squad, recording 24 points, 14 rebounds, and six steals. Valiant efforts were also shown by team captain Bennette Revillosa and Chuchi Paraiso scoring 13 and eight points, respectively.
When asked about Pastrana’s performance, head coach Cholo Villanueva shares, “She’s a hardworking player. She worked on her game these past months before the UAAP, so I think it will show in the upcoming games.”
In the losing effort, Lady Maroon Jona Lebico was the only player to hit double digits with 11 points. Rei Sanchez was the second-highest scorer with nine points to her name, along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Defensive lockdown
The game opened with both teams looking to hound and harass the opposition. The strong defending from both sides of the court kept the game scoreless until the 7:40 mark, when Revillosa opened the Lady Archers’ account with a shot from inside the paint. With 6:27 left in the quarter, UP’s Lulu Ordoveza scored her team’s first points with a lay-in off a Juju Domingo assist.
The tough defense in the paint from both teams combined with missed jumpers kept the first quarter low scoring. With just over a minute remaining, Lee Sario extended DLSU’s lead with a 5-0 run—a three-pointer from the corner, followed by a shot from a euro step—to end the first period with a score of 11-7 in favor of the Green-and-White.
The Lady Archers found their rhythm and picked up their game early in the second quarter, with poised efforts from Pastrana and Revillosa, combined with Paraiso’s rebounding presence on the offense. Nine points went unanswered for the Lasallians to lead the fight, 21-9. At the 4:36 mark, UP’s Pat Pesquera finally responded with a layup.
The Green-and-White’s strong defense in the first half of the game was highlighted by their total of 11 steals compared to that of UP’s two, which allowed the squad to take control and post up a 32-17 scoreline at halftime.
Consistent dominance
The Lady Archers continued to breakdown the opposing defense as they drove into the paint and found easy looks. La Salle opened the scoring in the third as Angel Quingco and Pastrana went 1 for 2 and 2 for 2 from the free throw line, respectively, after drawing fouls. The Taft-based squad’s continued dominance inside the paint opened up space beyond the arc, which Vea Malarde capitalized on with a corner three. The shot ballooned La Salle’s lead to double the Maroons’ score, 38-19, with 7:50 left in the third.
The Green-and-White continued to extend their advantage up until the 3:36 mark when a free throw from De Leon stopped the bleeding for UP. This sparked a 6-0 run for the Lady Maroons cutting DLSU’s lead back to 19, 47-28, with 2:33 left in the quarter.
An and-one from Maureen Okoli, who was fouled while converting a layup, late into the quarter provided reprieve for the Lasallians. The sequence depicted the Lady Maroons’ lack of an answer underneath the basket against the side from Taft. The Lasallians’ continued full-court press left UP frustrated with multiple turnovers in the third.
The quarter ended at 52-34 in favor of the Green-and-White, who looked to be cruising.
The UP Lady Maroons found life early in the fourth period as they went on an offensive run, which closed the gap to 15 with 8:07 remaining in the ball game. The run spurred the UP supporters to life as momentum was shifting.
In the pivotal moment, Villanueva looked to the red hot Pastrana, as she came up with the answer after she was sent into the game. She immediately went to work scoring back-to-back shots to rebuild the lead, 58-39, for the Lady Archers. Revillosa, Lauryn Del Campo, and Charmaine Torres also added successive three-pointers to cement the advantage.
Basket after basket buried the UP squad, whose 6-0 run with 1:34 left in the game proved to be too late. Rhea Castillo and Betts Binaohan scored the final points of the game as the Green-and-White claimed a 78-47 victory.
After the game, Villanueva talked about the positives he took from the match, “Most of the players are rookies and sophomores, so this is a good thing for us to get our feet wet and gain a one-game experience in the UAAP.”
The DLSU Lady Archers are hoping to carry their momentum as they go up against the ADMU Lady Eagles on Sunday, September 8, at 10 am at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The scores:
DLSU 78- Pastrana 24, Revillosa 13, Paraiso 8, Torres 7, Okoli 7, Sario 6, Quingco 5, Malarde 3, Del Campo 3, Binaohan 2
UP 47- Lebico 11, Sanchez 9, Ordoveza 6, Gusilatar 6, Rivera 4, Pesquera 4, De Leon 3, Taulava 2, Gonzales 2
Quarter scores:
11-7, 32-17, 52-34, 78-47
