Ateneo de Manila University continued its climb up the Final Four ladder of the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament, claiming a share of fourth place after edging De La Salle University, 85-83, on Wednesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The victory, however, did not come easy, as the Lady Archers erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and even grabbed a three-point lead late in the game following a Kyla Go midrange jumper with 2:53 remaining, 82-79.
But the Blue Eagles refused to let their Final Four push slip away, leaning on their leaders Kacey Dela Rosa and Junize Calago to take charge in the closing minutes.
The duo combined for six consecutive points, capped by Dela Rosa’s lay-in with 55.5 seconds left that gave Ateneo an 85-82 advantage. Go, meanwhile, missed a layup and two three-point attempts in the remaining stretch as the Blue Eagles held on for the victory.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
“Sobrang boost ito sa morale namin. We’ve been talking about going one game at a time, and we’ve been doing pretty well, kaya lang muntikan na kami kanina. A win is a win,” said Ateneo head coach PJ Navarro.
The Blue Eagles have now won three straight games to improve to 6-5, tying the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws for fourth place. They are just one game behind second-running National University Lady Bulldogs, who hold a 7-4 record.
Ateneo’s twin towers, Sarah Makanjuola and Dela Rosa, wreaked havoc against La Salle, with the Nigerian center finishing with 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. The two-time MVP also posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Calago contributed 13 points, nine assists, three rebounds, and two steals, while Kai Oani added nine points, four assists, and three rebounds.
Ateneo now faces its biggest challenge of the second-round push when it takes on unbeaten University of Santo Tomas on Sunday, still at the Big Dome.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Meanwhile, the Lady Archers failed to build on their impressive victory over the Lady Bulldogs last Sunday, falling to 2-9 and officially bowing out of Final Four contention.
Go once again carried the scoring load, pouring in 31 points alongside four rebounds and four assists, but her performance was not enough to prevent La Salle from suffering another defeat.
Rookie Marga Dueñas made the most of her opportunity with 14 points, while Bukky Ojo battled foul trouble after picking up her fourth foul early in the second quarter but still managed to finish with 11 points and 15 rebounds.
La Salle will look to pick up a few more wins to close out its campaign, beginning with a Sunday matchup against Adamson University before wrapping up its season against the University of the Philippines on November 22.
The Scores:
Ateneo 85 — Makanjuola 20, Dela Rosa 20, Calago 13, Oani 9, Udal 6, De Luna 6, Rodriguez 6, L. Lopez 3, H.Lopez 2, Cruza 0, Subejano 0.
DLSU 83 — Go 31, Dueñas 14, Ojo 11, Villarin 10, Lubrizo 7, Anastacio 5, Teves 2, A. Dizon 2, Delos Reyes 1, Sunga 0, S. Dizon 0, Evangelio 0, Villapando 0, Bacierto 0.
Quarterscores: 23-20, 53-43, 70-62, 85-83.
