The DLSU Lady Archers were unsuccessful in their attempt to put a stain on the UP Fighting Maroons’ flawless UAAP Season 86 record, 65-61, earlier today, October 18, at the Adamson Gym. After suffering back-to-back losses, the Green and White dug themselves into a 1-5 hole in the first-round standings.
Coming off the bench, Ann Mendoza was the Lady Archers’ leading scorer with 15 points on 75 percent shooting to go along with six rebounds in the losing effort. Betina Binaohan turned in a balanced showing with 14 points, five boards, and six dishes but struggled to take care of the ball, tallying nine turnovers in the game. Also scoring in double digits was Luisa San Juan, who chipped in 11 points of her own. Effecting the game in her own way, Aji Bojang brought down a game-high 16 rebounds for DLSU while also tallying two steals and a block.
The Diliman-based squad was led by Gilas Women guard Louna Ozar who made her presence felt on both ends with 14 points, six assists, and four steals. Complementing this was Marian Domingo who also had 14 points, five boards, and two takeaways for their sixth-straight victory.
Early showing
From the tip-off, the Lady Archers suffered on both ends with a lackluster defense and an unsteady offense. Within the first two minutes of the game, the Lady Maroons brought tenacity, tallying steals while forcing DLSU to jump balls and shot clock violations. The undefeated squad exhibited a full-court trap with lots of switching, resulting in broken plays or forced errors, much to their advantage. Domingo shined in this blazing start by UP with a three and a fadeaway jumper, 7-0.
La Salle tallied their first points of the day only at the 6:37 mark after a San Juan open layup. Consequently, more Lady Archers contributed scores in an attempt to catch up to the Katipunan-based squad. However, the Green and White were still trailing, 11-6. It was in the final four minutes of the opening quarter that things started to pick up for DLSU: the Taft-based team went on an 8-1 run with a fast-paced offense fueled by outlet passes from their guards and defensive pressure on the perimeter, 16-12.
UP attempted to answer back with a scoring streak of their own, beginning with a wide open Lady Maroon Sanchez for a corner triple, 16-15. The intended run became a back-and-forth, however, as the defensive-minded Luisa de la Paz tallied a steal and found Mendoza at the other end of the court to complete a fastbreak bucket. This same setup happened again for the final play of the first quarter, extending the Green and White’s hopes and lead to four, 21-17.
Game of runs
As the buzzer sounded to start the second quarter, both teams battled for each possession, trading baskets in the process. Lee Sario and San Juan prevented a Lady Maroons lead as the duo showcased their inside-out scoring. Sario attacked the basket and drew fouls, while San Juan put on a shooting clinic, drilling one from beyond the arc, 31-25.
UP seemed to switch the momentum after three offensive rebounds in one possession, out-hustling the Lady Archers for an eventual score. However, the streaky Mendoza immediately completed an and-one layup on the other end for DLSU’s largest advantage of the game at seven, 34-27.
The lead would not last long, however, as the Lady Maroons exhibited their undefeated prowess. In a span of just under two minutes, the UP defense stepped up to open the door for a 9-0 run. With Domingo and Ozar finding their range, especially with the latter’s back-to-back baskets, the La Salle lead disappeared as the Katipunan-based squad was ahead, 35-34. The Green and White tried to regain their advantage but were unable to get through the Lady Maroon defense. The Lady Archers headed to the half trailing, 38-36.
Valiant effort
Following a tightly-contested first half, the team from Taft kept up the defensive pressure by clogging passing lanes and effectively closing out on UP shooters, forcing them into several 24-second violations. Their tenacity on defense, however, led to moments of over-aggression. Team Captain Bernice Paraiso picked up her fourth personal foul with eight minutes remaining in the quarter. With the Lady Archers attempting several threes and missing, the Fighting Maroons secured defensive rebounds and pushed the pace on fastbreaks, as Christie Bariquit knifed her way through to get an and-one opportunity, 40-38.
The Green and White continued piling up turnovers and passing errors forced by UP’s trapping press defense. Kaye Pesquera capitalized on this by driving hard to the basket to get de la Paz her fourth foul, putting the Fighting Maroons up six, 46-40. Out of a timeout, San Juan drilled La Salle’s second three of the game to cut the deficit to three, 46-43. As the quarter neared its end, the Lady Archers kept attacking the seams in UP’s defense and scoring around open spots in the perimeter. A Binaohan midrange shot evened up the score at 48-all, and with less than 30 seconds left in the frame, Mendoza sank a tough contested jumper to give DLSU the lead, 50-49.
The Lady Archers started losing control of the game in the final quarter through numerous self-inflicted errors—throwing sloppy passes, failing to secure defensive rebounds, and rushing shots on fastbreaks. Showing their never-say-die spirit, the Green and White fought for three straight offensive rebounds which led to an Aji Bojang basket that slashed the lead to four, 56-52. DLSU tried to keep themselves in the game, but turnovers continued to be their demise—with their tally of 32 compared to UP’s 18 ultimately spelling their defeat.
As the Lady Archers missed shots in crunch time, the team from Diliman took the opportunity to put the nail in the coffin with Pesquera sinking a dagger from long range, 65-58. Sario dribbling off her foot with 29 seconds remaining signaled the end for DLSU as they fell to UP, 65-61.
When asked about the team’s 32 turnovers, wing San Juan commented, “It was the pressure that we had. I think we were hurrying [with] the ball, and we need to improve on that.”
Heading to Saturday’s game for their final matchup of Round One, the Lady Archer stated that their team is looking forward to applying what they have learned in previous games. “[We] need to train harder, listen to coach, [and play within] coach’s system… we need to fight and fight. I believe we’re gonna approach [Round Two] better after,” she expressed.
With their fifth loss of the season, the DLSU Lady Archers look to add to their wins as they take on the UE Lady Warriors—who sit at the bottom of the standings—on Saturday, October 21, at the same venue.
The Scores:
UP 65 – Ozar 14, Domingo 14, Bariquit 9, Sanchez 9, Pesquera 7, Onoh 5, Maw, 3, Jimenez 2, Tapawan 1, Vingno 1
DLSU 61 – Mendoza 15, Binaohan 14, San Juan 11, Sario 7, de la Paz 5, Bojang 4, Dalisay 2
Quarter Scores: 17-21, 38-36, 49-50, 65-61
