Lady Archers yield to NU’s stifling defense
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers (1–4) yielded to defending champions, the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs’ (4–1) stifling defense, 53–91, earlier today at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
The Lady Archers made history last season after breaking the Lady Bulldogs’ 108-win streak in overtime during their second-round eliminations matchup. However, in the two teams’ first matchup this UAAP Season 86, La Salle struggled to close the gap throughout the four quarters.
At the beginning of the first quarter, the Lady Archers struggled to get their offense going, with Aji Bojang registering the first two points of La Salle after a 0–6 run from NU, 2–6. From there, the Green and White continued to struggle to make good on shots as the Lady Bulldogs’ defense forced them to make consecutive turnovers. Jumpers from Bettina Binaohan and Lee Sario attempted to kickstart La Salle’s offense, 8–22, but Angelica Surada cut it short with a free throw. The last bit of action from the Archers was Beth Delos Reyes marking a lay-up to chip at NU’s lead ending the quarter, 11–23.
In the second kanto, it was another slow start for the girls in green as they opened the quarter with shot-clock violations and turnovers. Delos Reyes then scored La Salle’s first points of the quarter with a layup, 13–30. The Lady Bulldogs then once again scored baskets to extend the lead in the next few sequences. The Lady Archers attempted to narrow the gap once again with Luisa De La Paz scoring off a floater and a three-point shot with three minutes left in the half, 29–42. After a timeout by NU, a layup from Binaohan and free throws from Sario cut the lead to 33–42. Kristine Cayabyab completing the three-point play after being fouled on a layup however closed out the first half with the Bulldogs on top, 33–45.
La Salle came as close as nine points to the National University in the third quarter through the efforts of Luisa San Juan and Sario on the three-point and free-throw line, 42–51. This intensified the game as the Taft-based squad made shots to narrow the gap, with points mostly coming from free throws and hard-fought shots. Gilas standout Camille Clarin then swiftly actioned and fired a three along with Surada’s free throws after being fouled. The Green and White called a timeout with 3:33 minutes left in hopes of breaking NU’s momentum, but was to no avail as Clarin scored again from the deep, 45–59.
In the final quarter, DLSU was only able to list eight points compared to NU’s blazing 32 points, earning them their biggest disadvantage and being denied to pull off a comeback. Four minutes in the fourth quarter, Binaohan scored off a lay-up, 51–68, which was followed by a timeout by the Lady Bulldogs. From there, NU regained their rhythm and fired shot after shot. La Salle called two more timeouts before the bout ended but failed to minimize their disadvantage, as it grew bigger even as Binaohan made a jumper, 53–88. Aloja Betanio then sealed the game with a three, handling La Salle another loss, 53–91.
The Lady Archers will aim to bounce back as they face off against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, October 18, 11 AM, at the Adamson University (AdU) Gym.
Quarter scores: 11–23, 33–45, 45–59, 53–81
Box scores:
DLSU 53 — Sario 14, Binaohan 12, Bojang 10, De La Paz 5, San Juan 5, Delos Reyes 4, Mendoza 2, Dalisay 1, Paraiso 0, Villava-cua 0
NU 81 — Clarin 19, Fabruada 13, Pingol 11, Bartolo 9, Solis 8, Surada 7, Betanio 7, Cayabyab 6, Canuto 4, Alcantara 3, Bernerabe 2, Talas 2, Magbanua 0, Ico 0, Alterado 0
