Lady Archers endure setback at the hands of NU in BBi tournament
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers experienced a setback at the hands of the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 64–75, in the BBi Basketball Tournament yesterday at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center in Quezon City.
Both teams grappled with a shooting drought as the first quarter unfolded. Not until the Lady Bulldogs broke the deadlock with a pair of successful free throws, 0–2. On La Salle’s side, swift layups from Luisa De La Paz and Tricia Mendoza swiftly shifted the momentum and propelled Taft to a 4–2 lead. Meanwhile, Karl Pingol emerged as a reliable scorer for the Lady Bulldogs, leveling the score at 4-all with consistent free-throw conversions. Answering Pingol’s prowess from the line was La Salle’s Kyla Go, who also fueled the Lady Archers’ offense before a clutch shot-clock-beating basket from Lee Sario extended La Salle’s advantage to four points, 8–4. Despite this, the Lady Bulldogs clawed their way back into contention with Camille Clarin’s leadership. With less than a minute remaining, Luisa San Juan’s precision pass to Arabell Bacierto finally leveled the game at 17-all but the Bulldogs refused to allow the Archers to escape unscathed, as no. 18 sank her final two free throws, edging NU ahead, 17–19.
After a brief standstill, Luisa San Juan finally broke the silence for La Salle early in the second quarter, knotting the score at 19-all. Apart from a few passing errors, the Lady Archers successfully reclaimed possession and consistently pressured NU’s defense. This enabled La Salle to maintain a slim five-point lead, courtesy of San Juan’s three-pointer and Go’s flawless free throws, dominating the initial five minutes of the quarter with a score of 24–19. While the Lady Bulldogs struggled to find their shooting rhythm for much of the quarter, NU managed to stay competitive through near-perfect free-throw conversions, spearheaded by Marylene Solis. The Lady Bulldog’s performance managed to level the playing field and sent the match to halftime in favor of NU, with the scoreboard reading 33–37.
As the third quarter unfolded, Pingol maintained a steady offensive presence for the Bulldogs. But both squads encountered difficulty finding success from beyond the arc, and this called for a shift to midrange shots. Both Tricia Mendoza and Clarin showcased their skills with adept layups to spark their respective teams’ scoring, 35–41. A few moments later, a pivotal three-pointer from Sario followed by a Mendoza layup momentarily broke La Salle’s scoring drought, inching them closer at 38–43. Yet the Bulldogs maintained their grip with Clarin and Christine Dimaunahan spearheading NU’s offense with well-executed three-pointers and layups, 41–52. Despite the relentless efforts of Go and Mendoza to narrow the gap, the Lady Bulldogs staunchly defended their advantage. Even with San Juan’s late three-pointer to close the third quarter, the Bulldogs retained control with a commanding 50–63 lead.
The Lady Archers charged into the final quarter resolute on bridging the 13-point gap forged by the Bulldogs. Despite Mendoza’s valiant efforts to ignite La Salle’s offense, the Bulldogs relentlessly widened the cushion by capitalizing on turnovers, 52–67. NU became more aggressive with their attacks as they swiftly breached the Lady Archers’ defenses within five minutes of the quarter. With less than three minutes remaining, Bacierto and De La Paz managed to sneak in a few baskets in a desperate bid to narrow the deficit. Yet, with Pingol commanding the court, the Bulldogs maintained their commanding lead. The match finally drew to a close at 64–75, with San Juan’s final three-point attempt echoing as the Lady Archers’ last gasp of defiance.
The DLSU Lady Archers aim to bounce back against the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors on Sunday, May 5, 2:40 PM, at the same venue. The game is also streamed live at the Sulit Breakdown Basketball Facebook Page.
Quarter Scores: 17–19, 33–37, 50–63, 64–75
