Aiming to spark a second-round resurgence, the DLSU Lady Archers faltered down the stretch and surrendered a 68-65 loss to the UE Lady Warriors in the UAAP Season 89 Women’s Basketball Tournament earlier today, October 28, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, Bukky Ojo led the Lasallian offense with a team-high 24 points, 12 rebounds, and one steal in the valiant effort.
On the opposing end, Sy Oñate spearheaded the Lady Warriors’ offensive charge with a game-high 25 points. Rachel Lacayanga finished with 18 points, propelling them to break their 31-game losing streak.
Squandering the lead
The Lady Archers immediately imposed a suffocating defensive scheme to start the game, trapping the Lady Warriors into heavily-contested looks and forcing a three-minute scoring drought. Anchored by Ojo’s interior assertiveness and Steph Villapando’s perimeter accuracy, the Green-and-White mounted a 7-0 surge. Lacayanga eventually broke the ice for UE as she buried a three, but the Taft-based squad refused to relinquish their momentum. Kyla Go continuously exploited defensive gaps, finding looks inside, while Edel Araza drew fouls as she came off the bench. Even after a late three pointer was drained, La Salle ended the first quarter with a 20-13 lead.
Ojo stretched the Lasallian cushion early in the second quarter with a strong take inside, 22-13, before offensive stagnation plagued DLSU. Punishing La Salle for a slew of rushed possessions and defensive miscommunications, Oñate led a blistering retaliation to erase the lead and tie the game at 22-all. The tide swung fully against the Lady Archers after a Nareen Gutierrez triple. Desperate to stop the collapse, Villapando delivered a crucial three and Shantei Dizon capitalized on the shifting momentum to find a gap inside the paint, tying the game at 28-all. With composure restored, the Green-and-White locked down the defense in the dying seconds, culminating in a run-out lay-up by Go that gave the Lady Archers a 32-30 lead heading into halftime.
Warriors break through
Coming out of the break, S. Dizon raced down the court for a fastbreak layup, putting the Lady Archers up 34-30. The Lady Warriors quickly responded as Lacayanga caught the Lasallian defense off guard, driving for an uncontested layup. An Oñate fastbreak layup after a Go turnover tied the game at 34-all. Capitalizing on La Salle’s defensive lapses, the Red-and-White rode Oñate’s momentum, going on an 8-1 run with easy shots in the painted area. The Lady Archers responded with a run of their own as Zyla Lubrico nailed a big top-of-the-key three. Araza followed with a personal 5-0 run, capped by a corner three and a layup. Looking to maintain momentum, Oñate drove into the heavily contested paint before finding an open Rachel Lumibao for a crucial three, keeping the Lady Warriors ahead, 48-43, at the end of the third quarter.
Seeking to get back on track, the Lady Archers immediately turned to Ojo for an offensive spark, as the center powered a pivotal 7-0 run with contested shots in the paint, putting La Salle up 50-48. However, both teams struggled to generate offense until Lubrico was called for a technical foul due to an untucked jersey. The Lady Warriors capitalized on the opportunity, converting the technical free throw before Lacayanga sank two more from the line to reclaim the lead at 53-52. Lacayanga then drained a right-corner jumper, before sinking a three in the same corner to extend the lead to five.
However, the Taft-based squad’s fight hadn’t faltered. Go answered with a free throw before Tenebro grabbed the missed second attempt and converted a second-chance and-one, but Lacayanga responded with an and-one of her own. With two minutes left, Go kicked out to Lubrico for a crucial three before hitting a floater off a UE turnover to cut the deficit to 63-62. Sloppy mistakes from the Recto-based squad led to DLSU taking a one-point lead, but this was short-lived, as Lady Warrior Aliya Ronquillo drained a top-of-the-key three. The whistles then piled up, as Lubrico and Oñate traded free throws, leaving the Lady Archers trailing 68-65 with 36 seconds remaining.
With the ball in the Green-and-White’s hands, Villapando missed an open corner three before Tenebro failed to convert the wide-open rebound putback. DLSU then intentionally fouled Jean Ramos, who missed both free throws, giving La Salle one last chance to tie the game. However, Go could not find an opening for a shot before the buzzer sounded, dribbling the clock out before getting a shot up. As time expired, the UE Lady Warriors secured a 68-65 victory, snapping a 31-game losing streak dating back to September 23, 2024, when they last defeated the Lady Archers.
After a heartbreaking down-to-the-wire loss, the DLSU Lady Archers will look to regain their composure as they face the top-seeded UST Growling Tigresses next week, Wednesday, November 4, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 65 – Ojo 24, Go 10, Araza 7, Lubrico 7, Villapando 6, S. Dizon 5, Tenebero 4, Bacierto 1, Dueñas 1, A. Dizon 0, Evangelio 0, Sunga 0
UE 68 – Oñate 25, Lacayanga 18, Buscar 5, Lumibao 5, Gutierrez 3, Ronquillo 3, Vacalares 3, Gullim 2, Ramos 2, Sajol 2, Cruz 0, Dalguntas 0, Dublar 0
Quarter Scores: 20-13, 32-30, 43-48, 65-68