The DLSU Lady Archers delivered a strong finish for their UAAP Season 86 Women’s Basketball Tournament feat with a double-7 win-loss record after conquering the UE Lady Warriors, 58-45, earlier today, November 19, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Lee Sario led the Green and White with 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Bernice Paraiso posted 14 points and 18 rebounds. Ann Mendoza chipped in six points and 10 rebounds.
In a losing effort, Arabela Dela Rosa posted 13 points and five rebounds, while Paulina Anastacio dished out nine markers and six rebounds.
Switching the gears
It was a slow start for both teams as they traded fouls in the opening minutes of the first period. With the Lady Archers up by three at the five-minute mark of the quarter, Lady Warrior Minslie Paule’s three-point shot scrapped the lead to one, 4-3.
The Green and White eventually found their footing as Paraiso initiated the scoring barrage with a back-to-back layup, 7-4. They managed to capitalize on the turnovers of the Lady Warriors and went on to have a 6-0 run, courtesy of Sario and Mendoza. The Taft-based team struggled in the latter part of the first period as they missed two consecutive three-point attempts. Despite their ice-cold performance, they were still able to hold off the team from Recto as they ended the first quarter with a 10-point lead, 15-5.
In contrast to their opening quarter performance, the Lady Archers started the second period strong as Angel Villava-Cua made her presence known with a three-pointer to start another DLSU run, 18-6. Following a significant rotation change at the seven-minute mark, hot-handed Sario made two back-to-back three-pointers to widen their lead to 18, 24-6. The Lady Warriors slowly started to catch up as they cut down their deficit to 13, 30-15. It wasn’t enough, as the Green and White’s pesky defense prompted consecutive turnovers. Luisa Dela Paz’s free throws at the 44-second mark sealed the 13-point advantage, 32-17, to end the first half.
Commanding the conclusion
The third quarter commenced with the Lady Warriors aiming hard to open, but the court favored La Salle as Sario made a point inside the arc. After Kamba Kone’s jumper put UE forward to 34-19, the red team struggled to get their game straight with a series of mishandling, an unsportsmanlike foul on Anastacio, and a personal foul on UE’s assistant coach. The Archers’ side of the court was not stirred, with Sario propelling the team further to gain twice the score of their opponent at 38-19. At the three-minute mark, a stoppage had the crowd on the edge of their seats as Kone elbowed Kyla Sunga in the eye, earning the latter perfectly converted free throws. As the game heated up to a near-close, both teams capitalized on free throws, but La Salle had Betina Binaohan fire a shot beyond the arc, contributing to the third quarter’s closing score of 49-32.
The last leg of the game kicked off to a dull atmosphere as the score remained stagnant for two minutes. After a string of rebounds and indecisive passing, Dela Rosa finally made a 20-footer that advanced UE to 35 points, but DLSU was still up by 14 goals. The Lady Archers had seemed to have gotten complacent, though, as they remained at 49 points, with UE slowly catching up at 40, courtesy of another stepback-three by Dela Rosa.
With less than three minutes in the game, Paraiso and Sario’s back-to-back three-pointers advanced La Salle to a 13-point lead to 55-42. Both teams squeezed out three-pointers in under one minute, tallying 58-45 on the final scoreboard, in favor of the Lady Archers.
Despite holding a disheartening 2-5 win-loss record at the end of the first round, the Lady Archers still rallied in their succeeding games. They came to life in Round Two to notch five wins, including grudge victories over eventual Final Four teams, the UP Fighting Maroons and the ADMU Blue Eagles, to finish with an even 7-7 record. Following this high-morale victory, the Green and White’s young squad will look to come back stronger next season under the tutelage of Head Coach Cholo Villanueva.
The Scores:
DLSU 58 – Sario 18, Paraiso 14, Mendoza 6, Dela Paz 4, Sunga 4, San Juan 3, Binaohan 3, Villava-cua 3, Dalisay 2, Delos Reyes 1, Rodriguez 0, Barcieto 0, Catalan 0, Salado 0
UE 45 – Dela Rosa 13, Anastacio 9, Lorena 7, Burgos 6, Paule 5, Kone 3, Pedregosa 2, Ronquillo 0, Ruiz 0
Quarter Scores: 15-5, 32-17, 49-32, 58-45
