The DLSU Lady Archers fell to their archrivals, the ADMU Lady Eagles, 92-90, earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The win brings the Lady Eagles to a 2-0 win-loss record thus far, while giving the Lasallians their first loss.
Lady Eagle Alyssa Villamor proved her strength on both sides of the court, taking 20 points and nine rebounds to her name. Kat Guytingco was the second-highest scorer for ADMU, recording 15 points, while Zoe Chu led the team defensively, garnering a team-high 16 rebounds.
In the losing effort, rookie Kent Pastrana recorded 21 points and five steals for the Lady Archers. Additionally, Maureen Okoli tallied 19 points along with 19 rebounds.
High octane start
The beginning of the game saw both teams looking to make the most of their time on the court, blazing into their offensive plays. Pastrana opened the Lady Archers’ scoring, as she went two for two at the free throw line. At the start of the first quarter, it looked as though ADMU was taking charge of the game. At the 7:54 mark, Lady Eagle Chu started an 8-0 run, which was capped off by back-to-back three-pointers from Villamor to take the lead over DLSU,11-5. The team from Taft came back with two layups from Pastrana and a three-pointer from Lauryn Del Campo to bring the deficit down to three, 15-12.
The second half of the first quarter showed a more fired up Green-and-White squad. With four minutes left, Lee Sario came off the bench to score a mid-range jumper, sparking a 6-0 run for the Lady Archers. Pastrana then closed the gap further, as she made two free throw shots to tie the game at 20 apiece. Jhaz Joson answered back with a jumper, but DLSU took charge yet again to go on another 6-0 run with efforts from Angel Quingco, Sario, and Okoli, which allowed them to take the lead, 26-22. Sario finished the quarter with a layup to end with a score of 30-26, in favor of La Salle.
The Lady Archers came into the second quarter with Okoli making a shot off her offensive rebound, showcasing her strength off the boards. The two teams then proceeded to exchange baskets. With DLSU looking to extend their lead, Chini Espinas shot a three from the wing at the 7:37 mark, to bring the score up to 36-29. The Taft-based squad continued to score with strong efforts from Okoli, Betts Binaohan, and Chuchi Paraiso.
Halfway through the second quarter, the Lady Eagles scored from a floater by Chu, and a shot from Joson to bring down DLSU’s lead to seven. However, this was followed by a three-point answer from DLSU’s Binaohan. With two minutes to go, the Lady Archers continued to fire with a shot from the charity line by Angel Quingco, and a fast-break layup by Charmaine Torres to bring the score up to 50-39. The ADMU squad ended the quarter with a shot from Joanne Nimes and back-to-back shots by Hazelle Yam to close with a score of 52-45 in favor of DLSU.
Heartbreak at the death
Coming off a strong first half, the DLSU Lady Archers looked to cement the win. Both sides came out cold, missing good looks under the basket. The ADMU Lady Eagles finally had a chance to break the deadlock in the third after team captain Bennette Revillosa fouled Yam. She went on to convert both free throws, pulling Ateneo to within five, with 8:19 left in the quarter.
La Salle struggled with the tough inside defense by the team in blue as they missed shot after shot under the basket. Difficulty on offense combined with lackluster defense allowed the Katipunan-based squad to go for the jugular. Villamor caught fire, as she played in an inspired fashion. She started the Ateneo run with a nice pass to Guytingco for an easy layup at the 6:14 mark. She continued with a personal run, scoring seven straight, including back-to-back three-pointers, which would reclaim the lead for the Lady Eagles, 59-54.
The Green-and-White scored sporadically throughout the third, but allowed the Blue-and-White to score at will. The poor 10 minutes left the Lady Archers trailing, 63-77, going into the fourth.
Needing a response, the Lasallians looked to Sario and Pastrana to get them back into the game. A couple of baskets from the star rookie combined with a shot from deep by Sario pulled La Salle back into striking range with 8:53 left in the fiery matchup.
However, back-to-back baskets by Chu and Newsome halted the charge from the Taft-based squad, extending the lead for the Lady Eagles, 84-70. The Green-and-White led once again as Pastrana and Sario did not give up. The pair responded with another three-point shot from Sario and a quick bucket from Pastrana.
The game continued in such fashion, with both teams trading blow-for-blow. The Lasallians finally made a breakthrough, as they went on a 9-3 run that put them only five points down with 25 seconds left in the fourth. Binaohan was fouled on the inbound for La Salle, which sent her to the free throw line as Ateneo was in the penalty. She went on to split her free throws, which made it a four-point game with 22 seconds to play.
During the Lady Eagles’ inbound play, Revillosa came up with a massive steal and basket to bring the Lady Archers to within two. Ateneo advanced the ball with a timeout but proceeded to commit a shot-clock violation, giving the Green-and-White one last chance with 3.7 seconds to go.
Coach Cholo Villanueva drew up a play to get the ball to Pastrana as the clock winded down. Pastrana received the ball under heavy pressure, but found space to pull up for a jumper. It was heartbreak for the rookie and her team as she was unable to convert the shot, handing the Lady Archers their first defeat of UAAP Season 82, 92-90.
After the game, Villanueva shared his thoughts on the team’s performance, “We started slow, especially in the third quarter. We weren’t playing the way we were supposed to play, so Ateneo got back in the game. But it’s a good thing [that] if we lose by two points or 20 points, we are going to look at it as still one loss.”
The Taft-based squad now holds a 1-1 win-loss record. The team will look to bounce back as they face the NU Lady Bulldogs on Wednesday, September 11, at 8 am at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The scores:
DLSU 90 – Pastrana 21, Okoli 19, Sario 15, Espinas 7, Binaohan 6, Quingco 6, Del Campo 5, Torres 5, Paraiso 4, Revillosa 2, Dalisay 0
ADMU 92 – Villamor 20, Guytingco 15, Newsome 14, Yam 14, Chu 11, Joson 10, Nimes 8, Cancio 0, Payac 0, Moslares 0, De Dios 0
Quarter scores:
30-26, 52-45, 63-77, 90-92
