In a thrilling and physically intense matchup, the DLSU Lady Archers suffered a heartbreaking 73-72 defeat at the hands of the FEU Lady Tamaraws in their Round One clash of the UAAP Women’s Basketball Tournament. The game was a showcase of grit, hustle, and high-stakes drama, with both teams battling through relentless defense, lead changes, and clutch plays.
Despite the loss, Zyla Lubrico led the Lady Archers in the scoresheet with 16 points and five rebounds, as Kyla Go backed her up with 10 points and eight rebounds.
La Salle’s efforts ultimately fell just short as FEU’s Camille Manguiat contributed 16 points and drilled a dagger three-pointer in the final seconds to give the Lady Tamarraws a narrow victory. Amyah Espanol notched Player of the Game honors with 14 points and five rebounds.
Relentless physicality
The match started off slow, with both teams scoring from the charity stripe until the Lady Archers stepped up the pace inside the paint. A physical game ensued at first, until FEU’s Maxine Dela Torre broke the scoring drought through a perimeter jumper; then countered by Lubrico’s three-pointer, and the game went into its first deadlock, 6-all. This prompt impasse foreshadowed a battle that never tilted decisively, as both squads traded blows from then on. Fouls continued to be accumulated brought by the Lady Archers’ relentless energy, with bodies dropping on the hardwood while forcing every possession. Lubrico continued to produce offensively for the Lady Archers through exemplified great ball movement, connecting on an easy jumper off a feed from Tricia Mendoza that saw DLSU take a small lead, 8-6. The Green-and-White continued with physicality, adding a contested hook deep in the paint by Jimoh Nofisat, while Mendoza and Go dished out assists and easy baskets to keep La Salle’s offense flowing. The physicality eventually became a thorn in the side of the Lady Archers, with the Lady Tamaraws converting an and-one play, courtesy of Espanol to bring the game to another deadlock at 12-all. The squads would go back-and-forth as FEU responded with jumpers from beyond the arc. Lubrico continued her offensive outing, capping off the first quarter with a great outlet pass to Camba for the ending basket, as La Salle took an 18-15 lead.
A change in strategy would be seen in the second quarter, this time by the Lady Tamaraws as they utilized an early full-court press, pressing the DLSU offense to give up turnovers. Lubrico stayed poised, knocking down a quick three-pointer, followed by another long-range jumper by BJ Villarin. Despite the Lady Tamaraws’ attempts in amping up their physicality, the Lady Archers swerved through the court with crafty handles and ball movement to lose the defense and draw fouls, eventually leading to another three pointer by Luisa Dela Paz to mount a sizable 30-21 advantage. FEU answered with a scoring run led by Espanol, trimming the gap to four points late into the quarter. Mendoza quelled their fire, adding a second-chance point, and then followed up with a contested layup by Villarin, continuing to be fearless in the paint. Despite FEU mounting a run, The Taft-based squad continued to display good ball movement, continuing their outlet pass tactics as they held on to a narrow advantage to end the first half, 43-42.
Tough loss
The second half opened with La Salle struggling with a series of violations early on, leading to them wrestling the momentum with FEU. Abatayo’s two-pointer put FEU up 44-43, but La Salle quickly responded with De Los Reyes stealing the ball and assisting Mendoza to reclaim the lead at 45-44. The battle intensified with key plays from both teams as Go and Lubrico ignited a momentum shift for La Salle, including Go’s tough reverse layup and a critical turnover forced by Lubrico. Despite this, FEU stayed close with Manguiat’s basket, but Lubrico’s fadeaway shot kept La Salle ahead. As the clock ticked down to the final seconds of the third quarter, FEU’s aggressive defense forced a steal; and with two seconds remaining, De La Paz gave up a foul as the Lady Tamaraws sank two free throws, flipping the lead to 55-51 in favor of the Tamarraws as the teams entered the fourth quarter.
The final frame began with a jolt for La Salle as Go went down hard, leading to an unsportsmanlike foul on Lopez after footage review. Go sank both free throws to narrow the gap, but FEU responded with Pasilang hitting a pair of baskets to rebuild their cushion. La Salle refused to fold, with Go and Lubrico chipping away at the deficit, capped off by Lubrico’s tough inside-and-one finish to tie the game at 59-all. After a tense series of turnovers and a one-minute scoring drought, Anastacio hit a crucial free throw to keep FEU ahead by two. However, La Salle forced a turnover as Jimoh tied the game with a layup. Both teams traded possessions and fought for every point, looking to come away with the victory. A clutch steal by Mendoza would set Lubrico up for two free throws to give La Salle a 70-67 lead. However, FEU’s offense responded with a three-pointer to tie the game. In the final seconds, with the score tied and the crowd on the edge of their seats, Manguiat’s cold-blooded three-pointer gave FEU a 73-72 lead. The shot rattled around the rim, sending the FEU crowd into a deafening roar with energy surging as they could taste victory. With just 2.3 seconds left, Villarin would miss her final attempt as the buzzer sounded to seal the heartbreaking one-point loss.
The Lady Archers continue their search for their first win of the season as they take on archrivals ADMU Blue Eagles on Sunday, October 5, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
DLSU 72 — Lubrico 16, Go 10, Camba 9, Nofisat 8, Mendoza 7, Villarin 6, Dizon 5, Sunga 4, Dela Paz 3, Villapando 2, Anastacio 1, Delos Reyes 1
FEU 73 — Manguiat 16, Espanol 14, Abatayo 12, Pasilang 9, Dela Torre 6, Lopez 6, Patio 4, Garavan 2, Nagma 2, Villanueva 2, Salvani 0, Ong 0
Quarter Scores: 18-15, 43-42, 51-55, 72-73
