Lady Archers struggle to conquer UP, mark fifth loss
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers (1–5) struggled to conquer the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons (6–0) in the last seconds of the fourth quarter, 61–65, earlier today at the Adamson University (AdU) Gym. This result marked the team’s fifth loss in the UAAP Season 86 tournament.
It was a rough start for the Lady Archers in the first quarter. A Marian Domingo trey and fadeaway jumper along with a Louna Ozar steal allowed the Lady Maroons to secure an early lead in the first two minutes of the bout, 0–7. At the 6:33 mark, La Salle finally got their first point with a layup from Luisa San Juan, 2–7. The Green and White continued to heighten their offense as the game progressed, with jumpers from Tricia Mendoza and Bettina Binaohan equalizing the score to 12-all. From then, momentum shifted and La Salle was able to get the upper hand before the time ran out, 21–17.
Coming into the second kanto, the Lady Archers were determined to maintain momentum from the previous quarter. Although it was Domingo who opened up scoring in the quarter, Lee Sario’s jumper and free throw maintained La Salle’s lead, 24–19. The gap then further widened courtesy of a Binaohan jay, San Juan shot from beyond the arc, and Mendoza layup, 34–27. However, UP did not hand the quarter easily to the Taft-based squad as the Lady Maroons responded with a 7–0 run leading La Salle to call a timeout, 34–35. Despite valiant efforts from the Lady Archers to regain the lead, the quarter ended with UP ahead by two points, 36–38.
Binaohan was the lone scorer in the first two minutes of the third quarter from a jump shot that equalized the game again. However, this was not enough as the Lady Maroons continued to intensify their defensive play, making it difficult for La Salle to make shots, 40–46. Sensing the urgency, San Juan, Beatrix Dalisay, Aji Bojang, and Binaohan made shots to tie the score again. At the 00:28 mark, Mendoza’s fade away shot sealed the lead for the Green and White just before the third quarter ended, 50–49.
In the last ten-minutes of the game, despite their aggressiveness on both offense and defense, the Lady Archers struggled to gain points. By the four-minute mark, the Lady Maroons were ahead by six courtesy of Ozar and Domingo making shots, 50–56. Free throws from Binaohan, Sario, and San Juan chipped at the lead for La Salle, 55–59, but a layup from Christie Bariquit coupled with a three-pointer from Kaye Pesquera widened the separation again. San Juan completing a three-point play after being fouled was the last bit of offense from the Green and White, before the match ended in UP’s favor, 61–65.
The Lady Archers (1–5) aim to recover as they face the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors (0–5) on Saturday, October 21, 11 AM, at the same venue.
Quarter Scores: 21–17, 36–38, 50–49, 61–65
Box Scores:
DLSU 61 — Mendo 15, Binaohan 14, San Juan 11, Sario 7, de la Paz 5, Bojang 4, Dalisay 2
UP 65— Ozar 14, Domingo 14, Bariquit 9, Sanchez 9, Pesquera 7, Onoh 5, Maw, 3, Jimenez 2, Tapawan 1, Vingno 1
