A late-game surge by the NU Lady Bulldogs denied the DLSU Lady Archers an upset victory in their final Round 1 assignment of the UAAP Season 89 Women’s Basketball Tournament, 75-71, earlier today, October 24, at the Blue Eagle Gym.
Bukky Ojo led La Salle with a game-high 29 points and 15 rebounds, while Kyla Go chipped in 21 points, five assists, and three rebounds to keep the Lady Archers in contention.
Meanwhile, Cielo Pagdulagan paced NU with 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Karl Ann Pingol added 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists to fuel the Bulldogs’ comeback victory.
Full steam ahead
Coming off a tough loss in their previous outing, the Lady Bulldogs looked to set the tone early, with Pingol knocking down a midrange jumper and Garcia finishing inside easily. The Lady Archers answered through Ojo’s finish against tight coverage and Go’s drive through the defense to tie the game at 4-all. After finding gaps in NU’s interior defense, the Taft-based squad moved the ball with more fluidity, as Shantei Dizon converted off a Go assist to give La Salle its first lead. Ara Bacierto then jumped a passing lane to ignite a Green-and-White fast break, with Go finishing in transition before Bacierto repeatedly fed Ojo inside the paint. The Lady Archers’ inside game proved difficult to contain, as Ojo’s finishes and Go’s and-one capped an uncontested 19 point run that put the green shirts ahead, 19-6. However, the Bulldogs found their footing late in the quarter. Pagdulagan attacked the basket for a contact finish, while Pingol knocked down her free throws to chip away at the deficit. Solis then beat the buzzer with a triple, breathing life into the blue shirts’ offense and cutting La Salle’s lead to 19-14 at the end of the opening frame.
The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the second quarter, with Pagdulagan converting a steal into a fastbreak layup to pull NU within one possession. Ojo answered on the other end, but Pingol and Pagdulagan attacked the paint continuously, steadily eroding La Salle’s advantage. Their persistence paid off when Pingol converted an and-one to put NU ahead, 27-26. Ojo quickly restored the Lady Archers’ lead, turning the contest into a back-and-forth exchange as neither side could establish control. With the blue shirts packing the paint and closing off driving lanes, La Salle repeatedly looked inside to Ojo, who scored through contact and finished off a pass from Zyla Lubrico to keep the white shirts in front. Marga Villanueva’s triple kept the Bulldogs within striking distance, but the Green-and-White answered through timely baskets, including a putback from Lubrico and a three-pointer from Stephanie Villapando. As the pace picked up, Go made her presence felt in transition, turning another Lubrico steal into a fastbreak layup before beating the defense down the floor again for a second straight basket. Her late-quarter burst helped La Salle regain its footing, sending the Taft-based squad into halftime with a 43-34 cushion.
Keeping distance
Rushing to even the scoreboard, the Lady Bulldogs shot over the Green-and-White perimeter, opting to avoid contests from Ojo and her post defense. Due to this, the Lasallians struggled to organize their defense, guessing between guarding the three-point line and the paint. Three minutes into the third quarter, Villanueva led the Bulldogs’ charge with a three-point shot to lead, 47-46. The Lady Archers struggled to reply, finding little to no openings for passers to reach Ojo at the low posts of NU’s basket. La Salle’s passers screened heavily off into the wings, gradually taking farther shots as their shot clock drained. On the charge back to La Salle’s net, the Bulldogs fired salvo after salvo from beyond the arc to boost their 11-point lead. However, the Taft-based squad softened their reliance on Ojo and mirrored the Bulldogs’ long-range strategy as Go made her own corner three-pointers, ending the quarter at a 57-all tie.
Back-and-forth blows persisted through the fourth quarter with no advantage emerging. The Lady Archers focused their defense on NU’s Aloha Betanio and Villanueva. The attrition persisted till Go collided with Betanio, causing a two-minute stoppage. Go was briefly substituted by Pau Anastacio before returning after a medical check. Afterwards, the Green-and-White lost their hold as the Bulldogs delivered triple three-pointers followed by dual two-point shots. The Bulldogs relied on a Pagdulagan-led offense to breeze through the Lasallian defense. Further focus on DLSU’s point guard cut counteroffensives short, widening the gap in the final minutes. With the Bulldogs defending their lead, the Lady Archers attempted to mount a final comeback led by Go; however, they failed to bridge the large gap as time died out. With 20 seconds left, Bacierto intercepted NU’s final shot to take it for her own, concluding the match in a 75-71 Lasallian defeat.
The DLSU Lady Archers look to turn the page on their persistent woes as they adjust their aim towards their matchup against the UE Lady Warriors next week, Wednesday, October 28, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 71 – Ojo 29, Go 21, Villapando 6, Bacierto 5, Lubrico 5, S.Dizon 4, Anastacio 1, Sunga 0, Villarin 0
NU 75 – Pagdulagan 18, Pingol 14, Cayabyab 10, Betanio 9, Villanueva 8, Alba 6, Garcia 4, Lapasaran 3, Solis 3, Alterado 0, Rosano 0
Quarter Scores: 19-14, 43-34, 57-57, 71-75