After dropping its first four games, De La Salle University closed the first round of the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Basketball Tournament with three straight wins, capped by a thrilling 53-52 escape against Adamson University, Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
After a tight first half, the Lady Archers began to pull away in the third quarter, doubling the output of the Lady Falcons to establish a 46-37 lead.
However, Adamson did not go down without a fight.
With La Salle ahead 53-46 and 3:26 remaining, Cris Padilla sank a three-pointer, followed by a deuce from Kemi Adeshina, cutting the deficit to 53-51 with 1:46 left.
Then, with 47.6 seconds to go, Padilla was fouled at the free-throw line. She missed her first attempt but made the second to bring Adamson within one, 53-52.
While the Lady Archers struggled to execute in the final moments, Adamson could not capitalize either. Jam Meniano’s last three-point attempt missed, and a key defensive stop by Kyla Sunga sealed the victory for La Salle.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“For us, the girls didn’t want to give up that lead today,” said Lady Archers head coach Cholo Villanueva.
“We were in control of the game, but we made mistakes down the stretch. Not relinquishing that lead and wanting to win the game — I credit the team for that. They have a winning mentality down the stretch to make the right plays,” the former Green Archer added.
La Salle now holds a 3-4 record, sitting in solo fifth place, pending the results of Far Eastern University’s (3-3) matchup against Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines’ (2-4) game against University of Santo Tomas later in the day.
Zyla Lubrico led the Lady Archers with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Kyla Go added 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Kyla Sunga contributed eight points and five rebounds, and Shantei Dizon was perfect from the field, scoring eight points on 3-of-3 shooting.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Elaine Etang led the Lady Falcons with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals but struggled overall, shooting just 5-of-19 from the field.
Adeshina added seven points and six rebounds, while Cheska Apag was limited to four points on 2-of-11 shooting.
Adamson, last season’s third-place finishers, ended the first round in seventh place with a 2-5 record.
The Scores:
DLSU (53) – Lubrico 12, Go 11, Sunga 8, S. Dizon 8, A. Dizon 4, Camba 3, Anastacio 3, Dela Paz 2, Villarin 2, Mendoza 0, Villapando 0, Delos Reyes 0.
AdU (52) – Etang 12, Adeshina 7, Padilla 6, Meniano 5, Bajo 5, Apag 4, Limbago 3, Munoz 3, A. Alaba 2, Mazo 0, Cortez 0.
Quarterscores: 14-13, 30-29, 46-37, 53-52
