The DLSU Lady Archers’ Final Four hopes in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament stayed alive after a repeat victory over the FEU Lady Tamaraws in a late-game burst out, 64-60, earlier today, November 6, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
In their return to the win column, Bettina Binaohan rose from the ashes after only playing in La Salle’s maiden game due to a left knee injury. The returning lady archer lifted the Lady Archers with 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Supporting her were reliable players Luisa San Juan and Kyla Sunga, who unleashed 14 and 11 points, respectively, proving helpful in the latter and crucial part of the match.
On the opposite end of the court, FEU Lady Tamaraw MJ Manguiat posted an impressive performance of 16 points and three assists that boosted their team in the middle of the game. She was joined by double-digit scorers Yvette Villanueva and Erica Lopez, who listed 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Tight fight
Teams from both ends of the court struggled to find the basket for nearly half of the first quarter, with points primarily coming from free throws amid a back-and-forth exchange of foul calls. The game remained stagnant until San Juan broke the lull for the DLSU Lady Archers with a sharp trey at the five-minute mark, putting them up 5-1.
The Green-and-White established their rhythm in the final minutes of the game with determined plays and a scoring run. Patricia Mendoza stocked up on key rebounds and finally converted one with a quick jumper in the last two minutes of the match, 13-5. In Binaohan’s return to the hardcourt, she showed off early in the game after sinking her second three-point shot to give La Salle their biggest lead of the bout, 16-7.
The Lady Tamaraws’ revenge started with a buzzer-beater three from Manguiat to answer back Binaohan and brought them closer in the scores, 16-10. Despite taking some time before the first point in the second, FEU brought it in with another three-point shot from Lopez, closing the gap to three, 16-13. Sensing the shift, the Taft-based squad sharpened their arrows in an attempt to hunt the Lady Tamaraws down. San Juan and Sario connected and listed back-to-back layups to stretch the lead back to seven, 23-16.
Sitting at a comfortable lead in the last two minutes after two consecutive jumpers from inside players Sunga and Bea Dalisay, the Lady Archers looked set to claim the second quarter. However, a weakening defense and a fired-up Lady Tamaraw squad cost the quarter to slip from their grasp. The last marker of the Lady Archers in the initial half was a replicate of their first point; a free throw from Dalisay. But La Salle could not withstand FEU’s 7-1 run, which resulted in the first lead change of the game and marked the beginning of La Salle’s fall, 32-30.
Comeback completed
The Lady Tamaraws carried their momentum into the third quarter, as Lopez led the charge, bagging a three-pointer before executing a quick layup that boosted their advantage to 37-30. Mendoza broke the run from the yellow shirts with a jump shot before Sario netted from a fast break, reducing the deficit back to just three points, 37-34. However, FEU pulled away once again through two consecutive three-pointers from Lopez, 43-34.
The Lady Archers were unable to stop the surge from the Lady Tamaraws with Lopez hitting another three-pointer before Maria Paras and Villanueva also added to their lead, with three minutes left, 51-39. Both sides of the court exchanged baskets during the remainder of the third quarter, with Victoria Pasilang and Manguiat scoring a jump shot and floater, respectively, before Mendoza and Binaohan both secured points. Binaohan beats the buzzer with a close-range jumper, ending the quarter nine points behind, 55-46.
Aiming to salvage this matchup, San Juan secured a three-pointer right at the beginning to set the tone for DLSU. The Lady Tamaraws’ Villanueva answered back with a three-pointer of her own before fouling San Juan, who converted three free throws, cutting FEU’s advantage to six points with 6:50 left on the clock, 58-52. Sunga continued to show her strength in the paint before San Juan drove into the basket with a layup to cut the lead into two, 58-56.
The Lady Tamaraws called a timeout to try and stifle the momentum from La Salle, however, this proved ineffective as DLSU seized control, cutting the lead to one after a free throw from San Juan. The lead switched back in favor of the Lady Archers when Binaohan displayed her offensive prowess once again through another layup with 3:30 left, 59-58.
FEU finally responded with a long two by Villanueva, briefly regaining the lead. At this point of the clash, FEU was in the penalty, giving Bernice Paraiso two free throws when she was fouled after a defensive rebound. Paraiso missed her first free throw before converting her second with 40 seconds left, 62-60. Foul after a foul was committed on Paraiso right after, giving her an opportunity to add even further to the lead, where she converted her second free throw. With seconds left, an offensive play drawn up by FEU gave Villanueva the chance to take an open three, but she missed and yet another foul was committed on Sario after her rebound, who converted her first free throw to put DLSU up just before the clock ran out, 64-60.
After the victory, Coach Cholo Villanueva shared his message to the team during the fourth quarter, “I told the girls [that] every time we’re stepping on the floor, we want to compete. If we’re in the running, we’re out of the running, we’re here. We’re in front of our Lasallian community and we want to compete every time. So every play, every minute we’re on the floor, every second, we just want to compete and win.”
On the other hand, player of the game Binaohan expressed gratitude toward her team for their support during her recovery, adding, “Of course, I give credit to my teammates and sa coaches namin, kasi siyempre nagging patient sila sa akin sa recovery ko and now I’m just doing my job to help the team win. And to maintain our spirit for the last remaining games.”
(Of course, I give credit to my teammates and to our coaches because they were very patient during my recovery and now I’m just doing my job to help the team win.)
The Lady Archers will continue their chase for a Final Four spot in a matchup with the UP Fighting Maroons on Sunday, November 10, at 12 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 64 – Binaohan 15, San Juan 14, Sunga 11, Sario 8, Mendoza 7, Dalisay 7, Paraiso 2, Dela Paz 0, Camba 0, Bacierto 0, Santos 0, Delos Reyes 0
FEU 60 – Manguiat 16, Villanueva 15, Lopez 14, Pasilang 5, Paras 4, Ong 4, Nagma 2, Salvani 0, Dela Torre 0
Quarter Scores: 16-10, 30-32, 46-55, 64-60
