Eleven days after falling to the University of the East and becoming the unfortunate victims of the Lady Warriors’ historic 766-day wait for a breakthrough, De La Salle University finally turned the tables.
On Sunday, the Lady Archers pulled off one of the most unexpected upsets in UAAP women’s basketball, rivaling only UE’s breakthrough victory two weeks ago.
With their Final Four hopes hanging by a thread, La Salle did the unthinkable, eking out an 84-83 stunner against perennial powerhouse National University at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
For Kyla Go and Eli Delos Reyes, the victory was especially meaningful after what they described as the lowest point of one of the most challenging seasons of their careers. Despite all the hardships, the two were grateful to finally have a moment to celebrate.
“For me, sobrang laking motivation sa’min ngayon. Nandito nga kami sa lowest part namin and feeling ko ito yung magbo-boost ng confidence ng bawat isa,” said Go, who finished with a game-high 32 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
“Nasa lowest kami ngayon, so parang this game talaga, sinabi namin sa bawat isa na kaya namin eh. Since ngayon nasa seventh place kami, yung win na to, gagawin namin tong fuel for yung susunod na games pa,” added Delos Reyes, who sank the game-winning layup.
Down by two with 3.7 seconds remaining, Go made the unselfish decision to find Delos Reyes for the go-ahead basket.
Prior to that play, the Far Eastern University-Diliman product had yet to score a single point.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
“Inoutlet yung bola sa kanya, eh may open na lane. Sabi ko don’t stop, don’t stop. Bumaba lang ako tas pinasa niya sa akin. Thankful lang ako na pumasok yung tira ko,” Delos Reyes recalled.
“Naisip ko noon kasi, three versus one yun. Alam kong kukunin ako ni [Aloha] Betanio, kasi ako nga yung umi-iskor. So, nagtiwala lang ako at alam kong kaya niyang i-shoot yon, so pinasa ko,” Go explained, recalling her decision to trust her fellow fourth-year teammate.
Go’s unselfishness and Delos Reyes’ composure ultimately propelled La Salle to its first victory over NU since 2022.
In a poetic twist, that last victory also came under head coach Cholo Villanueva, when the Lady Archers ended the Lady Bulldogs’ historic 108-game winning streak with a 61-57 overtime triumph.
Unlike in Season 85, when they finished as silver medalists, the Lady Archers have endured a difficult campaign this year, entering Sunday’s contest with their Final Four hopes on the line.
La Salle was just one loss away from elimination, carrying a 1-8 record into the matchup.
“Parang ang tagal din naming inintay to. Sa next game namin, mas pagpupursigihin pa namin,” shared Go.
“First of all, thank God din kasi noong Friday, nag-simba talaga akong mag-isa kasi parang, sabi ko, Lord bigay niyo sa amin kahit isa muna.”
While Sunday’s victory gave La Salle a new lifeline in its Season 89 campaign, the Lady Archers’ Final Four fate is no longer entirely in their hands.
For now, they are simply focused on carrying the same determination into their remaining games.
“Hopefully mag-translate yung win na to para maging mas better yung performance namin,” said Delos Reyes.
“Alam namin na kaya naman namin.”
