The Ateneo Blue Eagles survived a late scare to beat the La Salle Lady Archers, 85-83, in the UAAP Season 89 Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Ateneo led 53-43 at halftime and was up by 11 in the fourth quarter before La Salle stormed back. Kyla Go led the charge, and her midrange jumper with 2:53 left gave the Lady Archers an 82-79 lead.
The Blue Eagles answered right away. Junize Calago and Kacey Dela Rosa scored 6 straight points, capped by Dela Rosa’s lay-in with 55.5 seconds left, to put Ateneo back in front, 85-82. Go then missed a layup and two 3-point attempts, and Ateneo held on.
“Sobrang boost ito sa morale namin,” said Ateneo head coach PJ Navarro. “We’ve been talking about going one game at a time, and we’ve been doing pretty well, kaya lang muntikan na kami kanina.”
Dela Rosa posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Sarah Makanjuola also scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Calago chipped in 13 points and 9 assists.
For La Salle, Go finished with 31 points. Marga Dueñas had 14 points, Bukky Ojo added a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds, and BJ Villarin contributed 10 points.
NU Holds Off Adamson
Earlier that day, the NU Lady Bulldogs held off the Adamson Lady Falcons, 84-77.
Adamson kept pace early, but NU broke the game open with a 19-3 run in the second quarter and took a 50-30 lead into halftime. The Lady Falcons fought back in the fourth, outscoring NU 28-18 in the period to cut the deficit to single digits, but their rally came too late.
“Very crucial na talaga ’to. We told the players this is playoff mode already. ’Wag na natin antayin,” said NU head coach DA Olan.
Tin Cayabyab led the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points. Ann Pingol added 13 points and 8 rebounds, while Marylene Solis chipped in 12 points.
For Adamson, Elaine Etang finished with 17 points. Kemi Adeshina had 15 points, Kim Limbago added 13 points, and Cheska Apag and Nadine Muñoz contributed 11 points each.
UST Stays Unbeaten With Dismantling of UE
In the day’s opening game, the UST Growling Tigresses stayed unbeaten with a 106-48 rout of the UE Lady Warriors.
UST raced to a 26-10 lead in the first quarter and matched that score in the second to lead 52-20 at halftime. The Growling Tigresses never let up, holding UE to just 9 points in the fourth quarter to finish with a 58-point win.
“It’s a team effort pa rin. Ang defense namin, we take pride in it every time we play,” said UST head coach Haydee Ong, who returned from a one-game suspension.
Karylle Sierba led the Growling Tigresses with 21 points and 6 assists. CJ Maglupay added 13 points and 8 rebounds, Oma Onianwa posted a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Brigette Santos chipped in 11 points and 6 assists.
For UE, Rachel Lacayanga finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds.
Ateneo will next face UST on Sunday, November 15, at 12:00 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Earlier that day, at 10:00 a.m., La Salle will face Adamson.
Meanwhile, NU will next face UE on Saturday, November 14, at 10:00 a.m. at the same venue.
