After a challenging start to the season, the DLSU Lady Archers broke into the win column of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament after outscoring the FEU Lady Tamaraws, 89-65, earlier today, September 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Luisa San Juan spearheaded the offensive effort, scoring a remarkable 34 points and hitting 10 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc, setting a new UAAP Women’s basketball record, tying Jeff Napa’s record that has stood for 22 years. Supporting her were Patricia Mendoza and Kyla Sunga who contributed significantly with double-doubles, recording 16 and 14 points respectively, while also grabbing 15 rebounds each.
On the other side of the court, the FEU Lady Tamaraws put up a good fight as MJ Manguiat led the team’s scoring with 19 points, four assists, and three steals with the help of Shane Salvani, who contributed 13 markers, five assists, and a steal.
Arrows raining
The Lady Archers commenced the match with strong momentum, as Arabell Bacierto scored the team’s first two points. The opening minutes saw both teams struggling to find their rhythm, with the ball shifting rapidly between ends of the court. However, the Lady Archers heightened their defensive efforts, resulting in two fouls that allowed the Lady Tamaraws to secure free throws, momentarily placing FEU ahead, 5-2. In response, San Juan made a crucial three-pointer to equalize, followed swiftly by a two-point basket from Mendoza, giving the Archers a two-point lead, 7-5.
With six minutes remaining in the quarter, the Lady Tamaraws sank in a three-pointer to reclaim the lead. San Juan and Sunga wasted no time and blanked the green-and-gold with their offensive brilliance, propelling the Lady Archers to a commanding seven-point cushion, 15-8. With three minutes left, the Archers maintained their momentum, thanks to Claudine Santos and Sunga who showcased their skills on both ends of the floor. As the quarter drew to a close, San Juan kept her hot streak and delivered a stunning buzzer-beater to give La Salle a 15-point lead, 25-10.
Capitalizing on a dominant start, the Lady Archers opened the second quarter with relentless rebounding, giving their bigs confidence inside to further their lead, 29-13. San Juan continued her offensive masterclass for the white shirts, firing shot after shot from downtown, 33-17.
With four minutes remaining in the half, DLSU put their pinpoint passing on display with Bernice Paraiso, who delivered a precise assist to Mendoza to give the Lady Archers a 15-point cushion, 35-20. As San Juan led the offensive charge, Mendoza played a crucial role defensively, securing key steals and rebounds for the Lady Archers. Meanwhile, Salvani sparked a late run for FEU, narrowing the gap to 11, 41-30. The half concluded with Paraiso being fouled and successfully sinking one of her free-throw attempts, 42-31.
Seizing control
Entering the second half with an 11-point lead, everything was going well for the DLSU Lady Archers, attributable to the team’s camaraderie and excellent decision-making. The team continued to improve their offense as Lee Sario and Sunga contributed four markers. However, FEU’s scoring efforts relied on La Salle’s fouls and Salvini making the most out of the free throws, 49-36.
Three minutes into the quarter, Manguiat was carrying the load of FEU’s scoring as she scored back-to-back triples cutting the lead to seven, but DLSU kept their first-half rhythm from the perimeter, courtesy of San Juan and Rodriguez, 55-42. Still capitalizing on the Lady Archers’ fouls, the Lady Tamaraws closed the gap to just five, 57-52. The third quarter ended with San Juan’s seventh three-pointer with less than six seconds on the clock, 60-52.
It became evident in the fourth quarter that this could be their first win of the season, but the Taft-based squad continued to execute their pristine offense. Unlike the third quarter, the Lady Archers made sure to not pass up on offensive rebounds to keep the game’s quick pace going, leading to a massive scoring run, 77-58.
The Lady Archers widened the lead by raining down a pair of triples, courtesy of San Juan and Paraiso, 83-60. FEU’s Manguiat scored a three-pointer of her own to close the match on a high note, 85-63. The match ended with the gutsy San Juan draining her 10th three-pointer, followed by free throws from both ends, 89-65.
Following this first victory, Coach Cholo Villanueva gave credit to the team’s determination, “It’s a good win for us. The grit I wanted to see from the girls, they showed it today, being consistent on both ends and being two-way players like these two ladies (Mendoza and San Juan). This is a far better team than where we are now but I’m glad that we broke through our first win.”
When asked about her record-breaking performance, San Juan acknowledged how the trust the coaches have given her became instrumental to the victory: “I got my confidence from my teammates and my coaches who believed in me. I feel the trust they have given me at ayun ang pinakamalaking bagay para sa akin. I did not know about this record, but I’m grateful. I was not expecting that record, I just do my role at ‘yung pinapagawa ni Coach Cholo.”
(I got my confidence from my teammates and my coaches who believed in me. The trust they have given me as a player is a very big deal. I was not expecting the record, I try my best to do what Coach Cholo says and play out my role well)
After this statement win, the DLSU Lady Archers will look to improve their standing as they take on the defending champions, the UST Golden Tigresses on Sunday, September 29, at 11:30 am at the same venue.
The Scores:
DLSU 89 – San Juan 34, Mendoza 16, Sunga 14, Sario 9, Paraiso 4, Dela Paz 3, Rodriguez 3, Santos 3, Bacierto 2, Camba 1, Delos Reyes 0, Villava-Cua 0
FEU 65 – Manguiat 19, Salvani 13, Lopez 8, Dela Torre 7, Ong 7, Gavaran 5, Villanueva 2, Nagma 2, Paras 2, Pasilang 0, Libor 0
Quarter Scores: 25-10, 42-31, 60-52, 89-65
