The DLSU Lady Archers suffered a tough 64-49 loss against the formidable NU Lady Bulldogs during their UAAP Season 87 opening match earlier tonight, September 8, at the Adamson University Gymnasium.
Ann Mendoza and Bernice Paraiso did the groundwork for the Lady Archers with 16 and 10 points and 11 and six rebounds, respectively. Betina Binaohan boosted the Green-and-White’s efforts with six assists and four points.
NU’s star player, Camille Clarin, led the Lady Bulldogs’ charge with 16 points, supplemented by Kristine Cayabyab’s 13-point contribution and four assists. Cielo Pagdulagan also tallied double-digits with 11 points and four rebounds.
A headstart to nowhere
Determined to jumpstart the game the way they intended to finish it, Lady Archers Lee Sario opened the match with a successful jump shot. The equally eager Lady Bulldog Angelica Surada followed with a quick layup to tie the score at 2-all. This prompt exchange foreshadowed the game’s rhythm, with both teams alternating possessions and fiercely defending even the slightest lead.
The Green-and-White exhibited aggressiveness, resulting in a strong point-making play led by Mendoza and Paraiso. However, this strategy also sent Lady Bulldogs Clarin, Princess Fabruada, and Kristine Cayabyab to the free-throw line due to persistent fouls called on the Lady Archers. Kyla Sunga and Mendoza worked hand-in-hand to help the Lady Archers regain the lead at 15-14 with a tense two-minute expiry. The Lady Bulldogs struggled to penetrate the Lasallians’ defensive pressure until NU’s impact substitute, Pagdulagan, stepped to the three-point line and fired a last-second three-pointer, closing the first quarter with an equal scoreboard of 17-all.
DLSU suffered a stagnant point count as NU gained confidence throughout the second quarter. Leading scorer Mendoza stood her ground for the Lady Archers, trying to steer them back to dominance, but she was no match against NU’s powerhouse players Clarin and Pagdulagan. At the thirty-second countdown, the Lady Archers abandoned attempts to take the lead—even inching closer to the tip-off proved unattainable—thus closing the second quarter five points behind the Bulldogs, 33-28.
Hounding the arrows
Fresh off the halftime, the DLSU Lady Archers entered the second frame with Sario finally making a two-point shot after continuous missed attempts in the previous half, followed by Mendoza’s lucky bucket with no one to guard her, 33-32. This attempt, however, was not enough to catch up as NU continued to hound DLSU with impressive blocks and Jil Talas’ explosive fastbreak and additional foul shot to go with it, 38-32.
As their offensive attempts continued to falter, the Lady Archers defense crumbled with it, providing the Lady Bulldogs the opportunity to widen the gap; Cayabyab scored and fouled La Salle’s Mendoza, who was able to split the free throw, 52-38. With 30 seconds left, NU’s Solis was able to shoot from behind the arc and a swift fastbreak to end the third quarter in favor of the Lady Bulldogs, 57-38.
Completely succumbed to the Lady Bulldogs, the Lady Archers rallied their offense in the fourth quarter as Paraiso scored the first bucket with six minutes left on the clock. They continued to bank on NU’s missed attempts as Mendoza dished an assist to Binaohan, DLSU then trailing by twelve, 57-45. As they hoped for a breakthrough, the Lady Archers made an effort to improve their decision-making as they minimized their fouls and shifted to pressure defense, leaving NU scoreless in the first six minutes of the quarter.
With less than four minutes left, NU broke their scoreless streak as Princess Fabruada’s two-point field goal made it through with a bonus shot to go with it, 60-45. Fabruada proved to be the momentum builder the Lady Bulldogs needed to push through with their dominant outing as Cayabyab made an easy two with no one from DLSU guarding her, 62-45.
As the game’s end loomed close, the Lady Archers made do with what they had as Arabell Bacierto and Bea Dalisay scored their first field goal each with less than two minutes on the clock. The Green-and-White suffered at the hands of the feisty NU Lady Bulldogs in a commanding 15-point beatdown, 64-49.
Following this disheartening loss against the reigning UAAP Season 86 runner-up, the DLSU Lady Archers will look to bounce back and secure their first win of the season in their upcoming match against the AdU Lady Falcons on Wednesday, September 11, at 11:30 am at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 49 – Mendoza 16, Paraiso 10, Sario 7, Binaohan 4, Sunga 4, Bacierto 2, Camba 2 Dalisay 2, Dela Paz 2, Delos Reyes 0, San Juan 0
NU 64 – Clarin 16, Cayabyab 13, Pagdulagan 11, Solis 8, Fabruada 7, Surada 5, Talas 3, Konateh 1, Alterado 0, Betanio 0, Canuto 0, Ico 0, Pring 0
Quarter Scores – 17-17, 33-28, 57-38, 64-49
