The DLSU Lady Archers were unable to extend their winning streak after suffering a blowout defeat to the UST Growling Tigresses, 93-67, in their second UAAP Season 86 Elimination Round meeting earlier today, October 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. La Salle’s record dropped to 3-6 following the loss, setting them further back from a Final Four berth.
Despite the struggles, Ann Mendoza chipped in a double-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and a steal. Luisa San Juan tallied 12 markers of her own and added in five boards, two dishes, and two takeaways for DLSU. Meanwhile, Bernice Paraiso added another dozen points to go along with seven rebounds. Lee Sario was shaky in the trying effort, uncharacteristically shooting 1/15 from the field.
Ana Tacatac led the charge for UST, scoring a game-high 17 points, bringing down five rebounds, and getting her team involved with five assists. Complementing her performance was Jane Pastrana with a double-double, contributing 10 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals for her team. Five Growling Tigresses were in double figures as they extended their winning streak to four.
Sluggish half
The first half saw the Lady Archers with an ice-cold performance, struggling on both ends. DLSU suffered frequent UST offensive boards from not being able to box out, team turnovers because of poor decision-making, and overall lackluster shooting due to forced contested shots.
From the tip-off, La Salle was on the receiving end of multiple runs, unable to answer back because of constant defensive pressure from their opponent. At one point during the opening period, the Taft-based squad was scoreless for 3:35 minutes, falling behind by as much as 14 points, 20-6. Things started to look good for the Lady Archers late in the quarter as they went on a quick 6-0 streak, courtesy of Sario and Mendoza, 20-12. However, the run proved to be short-lived as UST stole back their momentum, ending the quarter with DLSU trailing by 10, 25-15.
In the following period, the España-based team sparked an offensive onslaught from beyond the arc and the charity stripe with stellar shooting. This, coupled with turnovers from the Green and White, saw the Growling Tigresses open looks and fastbreak opportunities on their end as La Salle failed to get back on defense after repetitive errors on offense.
It was a one-sided second quarter with DLSU being outscored by UST, 25-14. Despite multiple attempts to keep the game close, the Lady Archers failed to match the Growling Tigresses’ consistency and intensity. The Taft-based team headed to the locker room down 50-29. Adding salt to the wound, UST was superior in all stat categories. However, the main driver for their advantage was their rebounding, which effectively boxed out La Salle, 38-23.
Trapped in the Tigresses’ lair
Much like the first half, the UST Growling Tigresses opened the second half with a solid three-point shot by Eka Soriano, 53-29. Early into the third quarter, the Lady Archers struggled to break the strong defense of the Tigresses. Paraiso managed to score a bucket, 57-33; but it was followed by a 6-0 run by the España-based team. The Lady Archers strived to break the momentum of the Growling Tigresses with Luisa de la Paz and Mendoza chipping in points for the team. Much to no avail, UST dominated with 31 points in the third quarter alone with the team making most of their three-point shot attempts, 81-47.
In the hopes of turning the tides to their favor in the fourth quarter, the Lady Archers managed to secure more rebounds and second-chance shots. Now down by half, the Taft-based team was able to start a mini 6-0 run with contributions from Aji Bojang and Kyla Sunga chipping in points that brought the score to 83-57. Growling Tigress Pastrana was able to break this run with an astounding three-point shot, handing back the control to the Tigresses. UST’s defensive pattern proved to be a pesky hindrance to DLSU’s scoring. Within the last two minutes of the game, the Lady Archers banked on their free throws to keep the game going; the score now at 93-64.
With eight seconds left, the Lady Archers ended the match with an unwavering attempt as San Juan closed with a three-point shot but ultimately bowed down to the Growling Tigresses who took control of the whole game.
After being out-rebounded at 68-52, Mendoza pointed at boxing out as the main issue that resulted in the blowout loss. She stated, “Hindi kami masyadong nakapag-adjust sa rebound, ‘yung box out. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung pinakakinulang namin.”
(We were not able to box out and adjust for rebounds. That was what we really lacked.)
She also voiced what the team needs to do to secure a spot in the Final Four—that they need to make immediate adjustments to improve.
Mendoza also shared what the team will focus on in their practices, “Defense talaga. Kailangan namin ng defense para ma-execute nang tama ‘yung offense namin. Defense, box out, at rebound muna bago namin isipin ‘yung offense.”
(We need to prioritize defense. We need defense, so we can effectively execute our plays; defense, box out, and rebound before we think about our offense.)
Looking to bounce back and keep their Final Four hopes alive, the DLSU Lady Archers return to the court to take on the FEU Lady Tamaraws this Saturday, November 4, at 11 am at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Scores:
UST 93 – Tacatac 17, Santos 12, Ambos 11, Ferrer 10, Pastrana 10, Villasin 9, Bron 8, Dionisio 6, Soriano 5, Maglupay 5, Danganan 0, Amatong 0, Ly 0, Serrano 0
DLSU 67 – Mendoza 12, San Juan 12, Paraiso 12, Binaohan 9, Dalisay 7, Bojang 5, Sunga 4, Sario 4, de la Paz 2, Bacierto 0, delos Reyes 0
Quarter Scores: 25-15, 50-29, 81-47, 93-67
