FINALLY
Ateneo have been a constant foil to the Lady Bulldogs, the only team they had yet to beat since Roger Gorayeb took over as head coach two seasons ago. Although the Lady Bulldogs had scored wins over Ateneo during the Philippine V-League Collegiate Conference last year, the UAAP is a whole different animal that tests a team’s poise and consistency.
“Malaki ‘to kasi mahirap sila talunin kapag UAAP. Iba pa din sila maghanda kapag season na,” said NU skipper Jaja Santiago, who towered over the Lady Eagles for 26 points.
“Kahit ilang beses pa kami nanalo kami sa kanila sa V-League, iba ‘yung pressure dito kasi ito talaga ‘yung pinaghandaan ng lahat. Masaya kami kasi nagbunga ‘yung paghahanda namin.”
Gorayeb was just as elated that his Lady Bulldogs have finally shown their mettle, proving that the hype is justified.
“Lumabas talaga ‘yung ineensayo namin. Matagal na naming alam na kaya namin ‘to gawin. Ngayon, nakapag-execute kami nang mga pinapraktis namin. Kung ganito ang lalaruin namin palagi, magiging mahirap kami talunin,” Gorayeb declared.
NU dominated the early-goings of the match and showed their character when the Lady Eagles fought back. Handling pressure had always been a problem for the Lady Bulldogs last season. Owning an Ateneo team that had most of the FilOil Flying V Centre on their side showed the maturity of the new-look NU squad.
“Maganda kasi kahit na-rattle kami, hindi kami sumuko. Ang ganda nang nilaro nang lahat ng bata. Hopefully, magtuloy-tuloy,” Gorayeb added.
But as time would tell, National U always had uplifting wins. Last season, NU defeated eventual-champions De La Salle University in the first round but still missed out on the Final Four.
Santiago remembers this and assures it won’t happen this time around.
“Iba na ‘yung team namin from before. Alam namin na hindi sapat ‘yung masaya na kami sa ganoon. Kailangan tiyagain namin ‘yung buong season, lahat ng trainings,” the 21-year-old vowed.
The Lady Bulldogs, again, have all the tools to be contenders. It remains to be seen if they’ll let this win be the only highlight of their season.
