Eli Delos Reyes delivered the biggest basket of her career, converting a fastbreak layup with 3.7 seconds remaining to lift De La Salle University to an 84-83 upset of National University and keep its slim UAAP Season 89 Women’s Basketball Final Four hopes alive on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
After trailing by as many as seven points, the Lady Archers completed their comeback when Kyla Go found Delos Reyes streaking toward the basket. The senior wing, who had yet to score in the game, calmly finished the layup to give La Salle the decisive one-point advantage.
It was La Salle’s first victory over the Lady Bulldogs since 2022, when the Lady Archers snapped their opponents’ historic 108-game winning streak.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
“It was a very hard game for us. Si Bukky [Ojo] almost played the whole game, but she didn’t give up, and all of them didn’t wanna give up. That’s why this is a character win for us. We wanted the win really badly, and that’s why the basketball gods gave us this win,” said head coach Cholo Villanueva.
The seventh-ranked Lady Archers secured just their second win of the season, snapping a seven-game losing streak to improve to 2-8.
NU, meanwhile, absorbed its second consecutive defeat to fall into a tie for third place with Far Eastern University at 6-4, half a game behind second-running Adamson University (7-4).
With NU controlling the momentum for much of the contest, La Salle mounted its late fourth-quarter rally behind the efforts of Go and Bukky Ojo before Delos Reyes delivered the finishing blow.
For Delos Reyes, getting the opportunity to sink the game-winner was a moment to cherish.
“Nakita ko kasi inoutlet yung bola sa kanya [Go] eh may open lane. So sabi ko don’t stop, don’t stop. Bumaba lang ako tapos pinasa niya lang sakin, and thankful ako na na-shoot yung tira ko,” said the veteran wing.
Ojo also came up with a crucial defensive play in the closing seconds, heavily contesting Marga Villanueva’s three-point attempt with five seconds remaining to prevent NU from reclaiming the lead.
Go spearheaded La Salle’s offense throughout the contest, finishing with a game-high 32 points on 50 percent shooting while converting 19 of her 25 free-throw attempts.
Ojo, meanwhile, posted a monster double-double of 24 points and 24 rebounds in 39 minutes of action.
The Lady Archers will look to build on their momentum and make a late push in the Final Four race when they face archrivals Ateneo de Manila University at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Big Dome.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
For NU, Cielo Pagdulagan nearly recorded a triple-double with 21 points, nine rebounds, and seven steals. Karl Ann Pingol added 16 points and eight assists, while Kristine Cayabyab and Zaydhen Rosano chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Lady Bulldogs will look to rediscover their winning form against the Adamson Lady Falcons at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, with the matchup carrying significant implications for the race for the second spot.
The Scores:
DLSU (84) – Go 32, Ojo 24, Lubrico 8, Dueñas 7, Anastacio 4, Villarin 3, Villapando 3, Delos Reyes 2, Evangelio 1, S. Dizon 0, Bacierto 0, Araza 0, Sunga 0, Teves 0, A. Dizon 0, Tenebro 0.
NU (83) – Pagdulagan 21, Pingol 16, Cayabyab 12, Rosano 11, Solis 8, Alba 4, Betanio 3, Garcia 3, Villanueva 3, Lapasaran 2, Alterado 0.
Quarterscores: 20-25, 45-53, 65-72, 84-83
