De La Salle University almost blew a huge advantage but got help from its star backcourt tandem of Camille Claro and Khate Castillo to repulse University of the East in overtime, 73-70 Thursday in the UAAP Season 78 women’s basketball tournament at the Blue Eagle Gym.
Claro finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists while Castillo had a team-high 19 points including 4-for-8 from three point area to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Lady Archers won their eighth game in a row and improved to 8-1 overall while sending the Lady Warriors to a tie with Ateneo de Manila University from 4th-5th with identical 4-5 cards.
Claro figured in a huge turnaround by the Lady Archers which saw the Taft side go on a 20-0 run in the final two quarters to take a commanding 57-40 lead.
Cherry Ano-os however brought the Lady Warriors back to life after firing seven straight points to pull UE within 57-47.
UE would then force turnovers as Ruthlaine Tacula and Ano-os added to the damage, tying the match at 58 apiece.
A backdoor play leading to a Claro basket gave La Salle the 60-58 edge but Eunique Chan answered with a hook shot to tie the count at 60-all.
In overtime period, Castillo drilled five straight including a trey to make it 65-60 for La Salle.
Ano-os and Tacula then scored back to back to pull UE within 64-65. Free throws by Snow Penaranda and Castillo pushed the lead back to 70-66 before Ano-os had a runner to make it 70-68 for La Salle with only 19.4 seconds left.
Alyanna Vergara was fouled in the next play and she converted both charities. Time ran out for UE even as Tacula hit a basket with only 2 seconds left.
UE dominated the interior, pouring 50 points in the paint compared to La Salle’s 34 although the Recto crew turned the ball over 26 times, leading to 29 turnover points for the Lady Archers.
The Lady Archers in addition hit 30.8 percent of their three-point shots, countering the UE zone defense with effective spacing.
Ano-os had 22 points for UE while Love Joy Sto. Domingo added 20 points and 18 boards.
Scores:
La Salle (73) – Castillo 19, Claro 16, Vergarra 10, Abaca 6, Penaranda 6, Revillosa 6, Roxas 4, Dagdagan 3, Vela 2, Ong 1, Gonzales 0.
UE (70) – Ano-os 22, Sto. Domingo 18, Chan 12, Tacula 10, Mendina 6, Francisco 0, Gayacao 0, Ramos 0, Taguiam 0.
Quarterscores: 12-7, 27-29, 44-38, 60-60, 73-70.
