The DLSU Lady Archers survived a rollercoaster affair versus their archrivals, the ADMU Blue Eagles, 56-55, earlier today, November 6, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion. This marks their eighth UAAP Season 85 win as they see their record increase to 8-2 for the Season.
Lee Sario was on target for the Lady Archers, posting a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three steals. Charmine Torres and Joehanna Arciga supplemented her, each scoring 11 points while pulling down seven and nine boards, respectively.
For the Blue Eagles, Kacey dela Rosa earned a big double-double with 13 points, 18 rebounds, and five blocks. Backing her up in the loss were Sarah Makanjuola and Jhazmin Joson with 12 and 11 markers, respectively.
Grit and grind
After an impressive win last time out, Mica Camba opened the scoring for DLSU, splitting it at the free throw line. The Lady Archers struggled to contain dela Rosa, who imposed her will inside the paint and consistently commanded rebounds. It resulted in the Blue Eagles controlling the pace of the opening quarter, placing the Lady Archers in the foul penalty early. Despite foul trouble and struggles on the boards, the Lady Archers ended the quarter on top, 19-18, after a Sario corner three-pointer.
The second quarter demanded more of the Taft-based squad, as they struggled on the glass. Ateneo used both dela Rosa and Makanjuola to man the paint, stealing the lead, 27-23. DLSU head coach Cholo Villanueva called a timeout to stop Ateneo’s early onslaught with 5:26 left in the second frame. The Lady Archers answered the call, going on a 13-4 run with their high-intensity backcourt pressure which forced the Blue Eagles to turn the live ball turnovers into easy baskets for La Salle. The Lady Archers went into the halftime break up by five, 36-31.
Touch move
Starting off the second half, both teams struggled to score until veteran point guard Torres took over and settled down the Green and White’s offense. As Ateneo sat down dela Rosa, their main focal point, they struggled on both ends of the floor. Arciga and Torres took advantage of her absence, pounding the ball inside and building a slight separation for La Salle, 46-35. The Katipunan-based squad ended the quarter with a 7-0 run after dela Rosa returned to action to chip into the deficit, 46-42.
DLSU head coach Villanueva caught Ateneo’s offense off guard, as the Lady Archers deployed a two-three zone defense to minimize dela Rosa’s offensive firepower. La Salle struggled mightily to convert their defensive stops into points, as they couldn’t put the ball inside the hoop. Ateneo scored its first field goal of the period at the 3:23 mark with a corner three, as Joson followed up with a three at the top of the key to trim the lead, 51-48. This play then forced DLSU to call a timeout with 2:36 left in the fourth quarter. The team from Taft struggled after the huddle, as Makanjuola scored an easy layup on the other end, 51-50. After failing to score in the previous possessions, DLSU called a timeout with 43.3 seconds left after Joson’s three gave Ateneo the lead, 53-51. After the timeout, the Lady Archers turned the ball over and allowed Joson to score an easy layup, but Sario answered back with a three-pointer to trim the Blue Eagles’ lead to one, 55-54. Niantcho scored the game-clinching layup off a Torres feed to get the lead back and secure the win for DLSU, 56-55.
The DLSU Lady Archers will look to keep their winning streak alive as they face the AdU Lady Falcons at 9 am on Sunday, November 13, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Scores:
DLSU 56 – Sario 16, Torres 11, Arciga 11, de la Paz 8, Niantcho 6, Jimenez 2, Binaohan 1, Camba 1, Ahmed 0, Espinas 0
ADMU 55 – dela Rosa 13, Makanjuola 12, Joson 11, Nieves 8, Cruza 3, Calago 3, Miranda 3, Villacruz 2, Eufemiano 0
Quarter Scores: 19-18, 36-31, 46-41, 56-55
