The DLSU Lady Archers took another devastating blow, faltering to the roar of the defending champions, UST Golden Tigresses, 97-74, in their UAAP Season 89 Women’s Basketball Tournament showdown earlier today, November 4, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Despite the loss, Marga Dueñas led the Green-and-White with a strong 18-point outing in the valiant effort, while Kyla Go and Bukky Ojo both added 17 points.
At the other end of the court, Brig Santos notched her season-high 20 points to go alongside her five boards and five assists, while Karylle Sierba contributed 17 points as well.
A roaring start
As the game tipped off, the Lady Archers came out aggressively, attacking the paint to grab an early 4-0 lead. However, the Golden Tigresses quickly responded, with Barby Dajao sinking a left-wing three, before Omo Onianwa went perfect from the charity stripe to put UST back up, 5-4. Go then heated up, driving to the paint and scoring her first two points of the game, only for Santos from the Golden Tigress Brig to take over, scoring six straight points, and capped her run off with a flashy pump fake that left Ojo off balance before spinning and hitting a layup to extend the lead to eight. Capitalizing on lapses in DLSU’s paint defense, the Yellow-and-White continued to find their rhythm, stretching the gap to 22-10. Ojo eventually broke the Archers’ scoring drought with a free throw, followed up by a driving layup from Go. As the quarter came to a close, UST maintained a cushion at 23-15, after limiting Ojo to an uncharacteristic three points on 1-of-6 from the field, alongside two rebounds.
Like the opening quarter, DLSU came out with aggression, with Aiesha Dizon spearheading a six-point run to open the second. Despite earning trips to the foul line, the Lady Archers struggled to convert, hitting only five of their 10 attempts by this point. After DLSU threatened to cut into the deficit, Onianwa scored over Ojo to steady UST’s offense, before Santos continued her solid first half by hitting two free throws after drawing a foul on her three-point attempt, extending the lead back to seven. Seconds after checking back in, Go attacked for a layup, but Onianwa answered with a midrange jumper. Go then found herself open in the paint off an Ojo pass, bringing her tally up to 12 points by the second quarter. Despite valiant efforts from the Green-and-White to mount a comeback, UST closed the half strong, with Agatha Bron converting an open midrange jumper before Sierba drained a right-wing three to make it 43-30. While both teams struggled from the field, with DLSU shooting 30.8 percent and UST 30 percent, the Yellow-and-White’s perimeter shooting helped them maintain a sizeable lead heading into the latter half.
Devastating getaway
The third saw an out-of-character start, as both squads were hit with a dry spell. DLSU Head Coach Cholo Villanueva emphasized a paint offense focused on feeding Ojo, as Go started the strategy with a crafty dime to the center, 43-32. The Golden Tigresses’ momentum halted, as an off-ball unsportsmanlike foul was called on Bron, allowing Dueñas to drill a pair of charity buckets and the Green-and-White to retain possession. However, UST finally found the end of the net midway through the third when Santos swished a stepback corner three, and Oninanwa outhustled Ojo on the boards, putting the brakes on her. The quarter crescendoed into contrasting tactics as UST Head Coach Heidi Ong spaced out her golden shirts from beyond the arc while the green shirts looked for opportunities in the paint, highlighted by Santos adding fuel with another corner three and Dueñas finding a cutting layup, pacing the cage fight at 51-38. Frustrations flared as another UST foul led to a technical foul on Coach Ong for unsportsmanlike conduct. Two quick fouls on Ojo followed, picking up her fourth late in the third, yet Coach Villanueva gambled and kept her in to inject offense. Despite the Taft-based squad’s whistle-cushion, trading blows, they could not break through in the third, heading into the final period trailing 67-53.
Charging into the final frame, Zyla Lubrico powered the offense, feeding A. Dizon in the paint and adding a tough floater to open the quarter; however, Sierba responded with a top-of-the-key three, 70-57. Meanwhile, Ojo’s defense wavered, easing off contests to avoid a disqualifying foul, as UST capitalized, slashing into the paint. Lubrico was a late sparkplug, hitting a timely three, yet every step for DLSU, UST trounced twofold, as Erinn McAlary found consecutive threes and Gin Relliquette added a tough floater to give UST a 20-point lead, 82-62. The intensity only kicked up a gear as referees held both squads back due to an altercation, for which Go took a technical foul. After another 9-3 run by the Golden Tigresses, CJ Maglupay was helped off the court following a landing injury from Ojo’s contest. The physicality peaked further as golden shirt Jannah Wenesciao intentionally pushed Ojo after the previous incident, as the España-based squad took another unsportsmanlike foul. Despite Dueñas heading back-to-back and-one plays, the Golden Tigresses answered every call, as the Lady Archers fell to the defending champions in a 97-74 blowout.
The DLSU Lady Archers head back to the drawing board as they look to mount a foothold in the season, seeking to break the losing streak against the NU Lady Bulldogs in their upcoming match this Sunday, November 8, at the same venue.
The Scores:
DLSU 74 – Dueñas 18, Go 17, Ojo 17, Lubrico 8, A. Dizon 8, Delos Reyes 6, Villapando 0, Bacierto 0, S. Dizon 0, Sunga 0, Evangelio 0, Teves 0
UST 97 – Santos 20, Sierba 17, Onianwa 14, McAlary 10, Ambos 9, Relliquette 7, Bron 4, Boteros 4, Maglupay 4, Dajao 3, Tate 3, Danganan 2, Pescador 0, Wenceslao 0, Danganan 0
Quarter Scores: 15-23, 30-43, 53-67, 74-97