The DLSU Lady Archers secured their well-earned spot in the UAAP Season 85 Women’s Basketball Finals after overcoming the UST Growling Tigresses earlier today, December 4, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Fina Niantcho dominated the paint to carry La Salle in the victory, tallying an all-around effort with 18 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, two blocks, and zero turnovers. Bettina Binaohan also stepped up in big fashion for the Taft-based squad, recording a double-double of her own with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Reliable as always, the guard tandem of Charmine Torres and Lee Sario chipped in 16 and 12 markers, respectively.
For UST, Agatha Bron led the effort with 13 points while MVP frontrunner Eka Soriano was limited to 10 points and was forced into six turnovers by DLSU’s stark defense.
Steadily stirring the pot
Entering the game with a do-or-die mindset, the Lady Archers wrestled with the Growling Tigresses to open the contest, resulting in both teams tallying multiple turnovers. At the 8:30 mark, UST’s Bron opened the scoring in the game with a mid-range jumper. Regardless, La Salle heated up and gained control through Sario and Niantcho’s lead. The Tigresses captured the same traction after Bron converted a layup into a charge of 11-9. The Taft-based squad froze UST’s score and produced on the other end through consistent fastbreaks and shot-making. The Lady Tigresses only recovered through Bron’s shooting from behind the arc, with the scoreboard displaying 17-14 in favor of La Salle. Without prevailing, the Green and White continued to affirm their grip on the game with their solidified defense, closing the first quarter with the lead, 21-18.
Close fight
The second quarter began with a putback from Niantcho, marking the beginning of attempts to pull away as the Lady Archers struggled to get into their offensive rhythm. In an attempt to rack up the team from España’s score, Bea Dalisay converted a three, but Bron was quick to answer back with the same act and cut the lead to two, 26-24, at the 6:20 mark. Early into the second frame, Torres sustained an apparent ankle injury which pulled her out of the court, but the veteran guard managed to return later in the period.
An exchange of plays by each teams’ respective centerpieces took place as both sides managed to keep their defense strong. A layup from Niantcho put La Salle up, 28-25. Edging the score, Soriano proved to be an asset to her team with a layup to cut the deficit to one, 31-30, at the 4:02 mark. Tacky Tacatac carried this short burst of momentum for UST with her free throws that gave her side the lead, 32-30. Shortly after, a jump shot from Marga Jimenez tied the score at 32-all. Slowly getting their groove back, the Lady Archers were able to convert more of their shots through a putback layup and a jump shot from Niantcho and Torres to end the first half with the lead, 38-34.
Staying ahead
Preserving the advantage for the Taft-based squad, Sario kicked off the second half with a step-back three. However, Lady Tigress Bron immediately answered with one of her own. Although the ball was being pounded inside relentlessly by the team from España, the Lady Archers did not relieve their unshakable defense. DLSU took control of the matchup as Sario owned the court with a charged layup and 6:45 left on the clock. Binaohan took control of the scene and made her name by dropping dimes and mounting field goals, taking La Salle’s score to 55-48. With 18 seconds left in the third quarter, Soriano was downed by an injury, from which afterward UST struggled to pick themselves up, fueling the Lady Archer’s fate as they swooped into the last quarter with the advantage, 57-50.
Challenging victory
DLSU started strong in the fourth quarter, with Binaohan scoring outside the arc, 61-52. The Lady Archers struggled to pull away at first when their offensive game was challenged. To boot, Dionisio’s grit helped the team from España’s contest by tying the game at 69-all with a putback. With 31.2 seconds remaining, Binaohan converted two points for La Salle, promptly followed by a free throw from Jimenez and a jump shot by Torres to secure a five-point lead and win the game, 74-69.
DLSU head coach Cholo Villanueva discusses how his squad approached this game differently from their Game One loss, “It was about being composed and being relaxed; there’s a big difference between those two. We were on the borderline of being relaxed that first game.” He further credits his team’s reinvigorated drive, “This game…the girls just wanted it more.”
Villanueva praised UST for what was a series well-fought, but he affirms, “We were the better team this time around. We made the proper adjustment.”
La Salle is far from done, however, as the Green and White return to the Finals after a six-year-long drought. Lady Archer Binaohan shares, “Six years na kaming wala sa Finals, ginawa namin ‘to para sa seniors namin. ‘Yun tanging motivation [for] this game.”
(We haven’t been in the Finals in six years; we did this for our seniors. That was our primary motivation for this game.)
The DLSU Lady Archers will now face the NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 85 Finals at 11 am on December 7 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 74 – Niantcho 18, Binaohan 17, Torres 16, Sario 12, Jimenez 5, Dalisay 3, Arciga 2, de la Paz 1, Camba 0, Ahmed 0, Espinas 0
UST 69 – Bron 13, Soriano 10, Dionisio 9, Villasin 8, Tacatac 8, Pangilinan 8, Ambos 8, Serrano 3, Santos 2
Quarter Scores: 21-18, 38-34, 57-50, 74-69
