A retooled, revitalized and, most importantly, healthy De La Salle University Lady Archers squad demonstrated what they are capable of in the UAAP Season 81 Women’s Basketball Tournament with a 72-57 beatdown of the Adamson University Lady Falcons.
La Salle were decimated by injuries and were swept by the San Marcelino institution last season, but veteran guard Khate Castillo and returnee Camille Claro steered the Lady Archers to a winning start this year with 21 and seven points respectively at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
Rookies Angel Quingco and Bettina Binaohan had a good debut for La Salle, as they provided 13 rebounds and 10 rebounds respectively for their team.
“Of course we want to start the tournament with a win to build up confidence coming into our next games,” shared La Salle mentor Cholo Villanueva. “It’s a very good win for us. Adamson is, I think, one of the top teams here in the UAAP. It’s a good confidence booster for us.”
Castillo was simply on fire for the Green and White throughout the game. She shot 35 percent from the field in the game, and her reverse lay-up handed the Lady Archers a 36-23 cushion late in the second quarter which set the tone for the match.
Villanueva’s team coasted from that point onward, and banked on stingy defense and calm execution of the opposite end to stifle the Lady Falcons. From a halftime lead of 38-31, the Lady Archers rode Castillo’s three to extend it to 49-33 halfway through the third period.
La Salle did not allow Adamson any chance to climb back in the game. Another Castillo basket, this time a lay-up, gave the Lady Archers their biggest lead of the game at 66-47 with 4:33 left in the game as they went on to win 72-57.
“It’s a normal thing na Khate’s gonna carry the cudgels for scoring. Even last year that was the case. It’s just another game for Khate,” opined the 2007 UAAP champion.
The Taft school made 32 inside points compared to Adamson’s 22, while the former’s starters dished out 44 points versus the latter’s 25. The Lady Archers also forced 19 turnovers from the Lady Falcons while only losing the ball 11 times.
In terms of rebounds, though, Adamson controlled the boards with 70, while La Salle only had 58.
Adamson were led by Jamie Alcoy’s 13 points and seven rebounds, and Lady Rose Rosario’s 10 points. Nathalie Razalo manned the boards with 20 rebounds, while Nathalie Prado and Shellyn Bilbao got 12 and 10 each.
Adamson legend Ewon Arayi made her debut on the sidelines.
“Each and every year we’re a small team but I think this year we need to do a better job than that. I think we have more ceiling this year. Again this is the first game and we have a lot of things to improve on and rebounding is one of them,” concluded Villanueva.
La Salle (1-0) will look to build on this win against University of Santo Tomas at 8:00 AM, while Adamson (0-1) look to end the National University’s 65-game winning streak afterwards at 10:00 AM. The Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City will host both games on September 15.
The Scores:
DLSU 72- Castillo A 21, Claro 7, Arciga, Revillosa 6, Quingco 6, Del Campo 6, Binaohan 5, Paraiso 5, Torres 5, Nunez 4, Jimenez 1, Castillo R 0, Espinas 0.
AdU 57 – Alcoy 13, Rosario 10, Osano 9, Prado 7, Razalo 6, Bilbao 2, Camacho 2, Tandaan 2, Cacho 2, Aciro 2, Tacitac 0, Cabuo
Quarterscores: 18-18, 38-31, 53-40, 72-57.
