Kacey Dela Rosa faced one of the rare challenges of her UAAP career on Saturday: going up against someone taller than her.
Standing at 6-foot, the Ateneo de Manila University center found herself dwarfed by University of Santo Tomas newcomer Nigerian center Oma Onianwa, who towers at 6-foot-4, in Ateneo’s 75-66 loss at the Blue Eagles Gym in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Known for her consistent double-doubles, the back-to-back Most Valuable Player struggled all night, finishing with just six points on 28.5% shooting from the field and grabbing nine rebounds.
“Kudos to UST,” said Dela Rosa. “They did very well guarding me.
“Siyempre, super proud ako sa bench namin kasi sila talaga yung nag-step up nung pangit yung pinapakita ko sa court.”
Central to UST’s defensive success was Onianwa, who consistently denied Dela Rosa space in the paint and made it difficult for the Gilas Pilipinas standout to operate.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“It’s okay lang naman but she’s just super long kaya medyo nahirapan ako kumilos and i-pa-practice ko pa yan sa training,” the 21-year-old Dela Rosa admitted.
With Ateneo aiming to return to the finals for the first time since Season 78, much of the responsibility still falls on Dela Rosa’s shoulders.
Given UST’s status as early-season favorites, a postseason rematch between the two schools remains a tantalizing possibility.
Instead of dwelling on the defeat, Dela Rosa is already looking ahead, determined to improve her performance and involve her teammates more when facing tough defenses like Onianwa’s.
“Siguro, mas ma-involve ko pa teammates ko kasi di ko siya masyadong napasahan tuwing na-double team ako,” she said.
