Adamson University denied University of Santo Tomas of joining it in the first-ever UAAP High School Girls’ Basketball Finals, taking a testy 70-64 affair, Saturday at the Paco Arena.
The win is the fifth straight in as many games for Finals-bound Lady Baby Falcons, while the Junior Tigresses suffered their second loss for a 3-2 record.
With the game knotted at 58-all midway through the final frame, Adamson went on a 9-0 surge capped by a Mia Miguel putback off of a Joan Camagong miss with 51 ticks remaining.
Camagong still paced the Lady Baby Falcons on a double-double clip of 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Team captain Crisnalyn Padilla also finished with 19 points to go with six assists and three steals while Kat Agojo corralled 16 boards to go along with nine markers.
Miguel added six points, six rebounds, and two steals.
The game had its tense moments and reached its height when a mad scramble for possession saw Camagong and Claudine Santos receive technical fouls for pushing each other.
“They are young, they are still learning,” Adamson head coach Ewon Arayi said of what happened. “As much as we wanted them to stay composed, yung coaches din dapat stay composed. Kasi minsan nakaka-affect sa momentum eh.
“Kaya nung huling part namin, especially after the commotion, we stayed composed. Gusto naming ipakita sa mga bata na kahit anong mangyari nasa likod niyo kami, pero sa tamang paraan. Di ba after that commotion, dun kami ulit lumayo? Ang ganda,” she continued.
Erika Danganan ended with 25 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, and two assists to lead UST. Claudine Santos added 20 markers, eight boards, four assists, and four steals.
Later in the day, De La Salle Zobel clinched its second win of the season after completing a season sweep of also-ran Ateneo High School, 88-24.
The victory sent the Junior Lady Archers to a 2-3 win-loss slate, heading into that important match against UST next Saturday. Ateneo is still looking for their first win after absorbing their fifth straight defeat.
Katelyn Cancio was perfect from the field on 8-of-8 shooting all coming from the paint for 16 points while tallying five rebounds, five steals, and five assists.
Chynna Amol had a breakout performance as well, registering 12 markers and nine boards.
Maxine Almeda once more paced the Lady Eaglets with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Andrea Sarmiento added seven markers and six boards.
That crucial battle between UST and La Salle opens the double-header on Saturday, February 15. La Salle must win to force a tie at 3-3 and a playoff for the second Finals slot.
Adamson, on the other hand, shoots for the eliminations sweep against Ateneo later that morning.
The Scores:
First Game:
AdU 70 – Camagong 19, Padilla 19, Carcallas 15, Agojo 9, Miguel 6, Roy 2, Amdad 0.
UST 64 – Danganan 25, Santos C. 20, Santos B. 6, Araza 4, Serrano 4, Sison 3, Lacayanga 2, Eroles 0, Estudillo 0, Tubog 0.
Quarterscores: 17-18, 38-34, 55-47, 70-64
Second game:
DLSZ 88 – Cancio 16, Amol 12, Ahmed 11, Ba 9, Villarin 8, Dela Paz 7, Maw 6, Udal 6, Mataga 6, Salado 4, Lopez 3, Esquivel 0.
AHS 24 – Almeda 13, Sarmiento 2, Medina 2, Doctor 2, Perez 0, Jimenez 0, Gonzaga 0, Co 0, Capayas 0, Baltazar 0.
Quarterscores: 22-7, 41-14, 64-22, 88-24
