Lady Archers triumph over UE, end S86 at 5th place
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers (7–7) ended the UAAP Season 86 with a 3–0 winning streak after securing a win against the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors (0–14), 58–45, earlier today at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
It was a learning season for the Lady Archers, coming from a championship-contending team to one that unfortunately missed out on a Final Four opportunity that was within their grasp. Nevertheless, the rookie-laden team made a statement with their comeback victory against arch-rivals the Ateneo De Manila University (Ateneo) Blue Eagles in the game prior, keeping their 5th place standing.
Lee Sario was awarded the Player of the Game, scoring 18 points to match her seven rebounds and four assists that aided in the team’s victory.
Now, going against the UE Lady Warriors, the match opened at a slow pace for both teams; neither was able to score for the first two minutes. It was Tricia Mendoza who shot the first points of the match with a jumper from the low post, 2–0. Back-to-back fouls from both teams opened up free throw opportunities before a trey from Minslie Paule put UE at the lead, 3–4. Chuchi Paraiso quickly answered with back-to-back points in the paint shifting the lead back to the Lady Archers. Mendoza took hold of a missed shot from the Lady Warriors and passed it to Sario who sank a three from the wing, 10–4. The Lady Archers’ offense started inconsistent, but the Taft squad held on to their slow-burning momentum and made the most out of every possession. Although, the Lady Warriors relied on drawing out fouls to score, often these amounted to missed free throws, keeping La Salle’s advantage. The first quarter soon closed with a jumper from Luisa San Juan, 15–5, which UE was unable to counter in the remaining seconds.
The second kanto’s scoring opened with a trey from fresh off the bench Angel Villava-Cua, 18–5. Sario then dropped consecutive threes from the wing and corner, keeping the Lady Warriors pegged at a single-digit score, 24–6. Paraiso getting the rebound from a missed Sario layup then converting a three-point play brought the score to 28–12. A bank shot trey from Arabela Dela Rosa made Head Coach Cholo Villanueva call for a timeout, noticing the deteriorating consistency of La Salle’s defense. More fouls were called on both sides but only Luisa De La Paz’s free throws were secured, capping off the first half at 32–17, remaining in favor of DLSU.
A Sario jumper in the paint kickstarted the third period, which UE’s Kamba Kone responded to with a layup, 34–19. Sario then makes free throws and an underhand layup, 38–19, widening the gap to DLSU’s biggest lead — 19 points. Following this, the Lady Warriors’ offense began to falter, missing multiple shot attempts until Paulina Anastacio sank a trey from the wing and a Trixie Burgos jay from the elbow set the score to 38–27. Perfect free throws from Bea Dalisay and Kyla Sunga placed the Lady Archers at a comfortable 42–29 separation. The third quarter later ended with the Lady Archers still in the lead, 49–32.
The final quarter was the most difficult for La Salle, scoring only nine points from back-to-back treys from Taft’s Sario-Paraiso combo. UE had the momentum for most of the quarter as they capitalized on DLSU lowering their guard. Despite the efforts of the Lady Warriors, ten minutes was not enough time to catch up to the Lady Archers’ score, ending both teams’ final games of the season at 58–45.
DLSU’s bench players contributed greatly in this match, contributing 15 points, proving that this rebuilding team grew to be well-rounded and reliable throughout the season. The Lady Archers’ defense grew to be more consistent as they made the most of opportunities borne from UE’s errors and turnovers. Most of DLSU’s setbacks fall in airballs or missed treys, having missed 25 of their 33 attempts from the arc. The Lady Warriors had a hard time maintaining their growing momentum and could not get on the same pace as DLSU’s plays.
Humbled and hopeful for better results next season, the team will use the remaining days of the year to rest and recover. When asked about off-season plans, Coach Cholo shares, “We’ll be coming back early next year, working on our skills and then hopefully, joining the pre-season tournaments for Women’s Basketball.”
Despite not being able to reach their goal of being a championship-contender like last year, the team feels proud of how far they have come.
“In a rebuilding year it’s exciting for me kasi you’re building new habits, building new character, building resiliency in the team, yung trust with each other; so parang you’re starting from scratch. Me, being a teacher, seeing them improve from where we were at the start of the year and now makes me very proud of these girls,” said Coach Cholo.
He continued, “We came from being a contender, last year, being in the finals, and then now learning the ropes again and learning new things for us to improve.”
The De La Salle Lady Archers end their UAAP Season 86 stint with their heads held high, placing 5th in the overall standing.
“I assure you we’re gonna be contenders next year.”
— Head Coach Cholo Villanueva
Box Scores:
DLSU 58 — Sario 18, Paraiso 14, Mendoza 6, Dela Paz 4, Sunga 4, San Juan 3, Binaohan 3, Villa-cua 3, Dalisay 2, Delos Reyes 1, Rodriguez 0, Barcieto 0, Catalan 0, Salado 0.
UE 45 — Dela Rosa 13, Anastacio 9, Lorena 7, Burgos 6, Paule 5, Kone 3, Pedregosa 2, Ronquillo 0, Ruiz 0.
Quarter scores: 15–5, 32–17, 49–32, 58–45.
