After three years, the De La Salle University Lady Archers are back in the UAAP Women’s Basketball Tournament Finals!
The lady cagers from Taft Avenue booked a ticket to the Season 79 finale after it overwhelmed the University of the East Lady Warriors 72-50 today in the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
“We got over the psychological hump of the Final Four. We’ve been having twice to beat advantages for the past two years. So for the first time we overcame it,” commented Lady Archers coach Cholo Villanueva.
Khate Castillo waxed hot again with 22 points to lead the Green and White. Camille Claro contributed 13 points and eight assists while Bennette Revillosa and Chay Vergara chipped in 10 points each. Snow Penaranda flirted with a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds.
It was simply La Salle’s fast start to the game which helped it secure the win. The Lady Archers limited the Lady Warriors to just two points in the second period as Vergara capped it off with charities to give the former a 30-18 edge at halftime.
La Salle carried its momentum towards the third quarter when a Castillo trey provided the Lady Archers with a 45-22 cushion midway through the period.
With La Salle having a 52-31 advantage into the final period, the Lady Archers kept their composure and just played their normal game in the fourth frame.
UE was repelled every time it tried to mount a comeback of epic proportions as La Salle calmly executed on both ends of the floor. Kathy Gonzales scored late in the game to hand La Salle its biggest lead at 72-45.
Perimeter points won it for La Salle as it had 32 compared UE’s 20. Love Sto-Domingo paced the Lady Warriors with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Villanueva explained, “It just shows us that my team wants to move the ball around. We’re not capable of making our own shots. We have 15 assists today. It’s big that we move the ball because it means we’re sharing the basketball and making our open shots.”
In the end, La Salle went on to win to return to the Finals. The last time La Salle joined the big dance was in Season 76 when it also clinched the championship. Their opponent then and now? The National University Lady Bulldogs.
“They’re the champion team so we have a lot to learn from them,” shared Villanueva. “For me it’s the first time I’m in the finals so we’ll prepare and be ready. But for us, it’s everything to gain, everything to learn from them. We’ll see what happens in the Finals.”
La Salle and NU square off in a best of three series in the Finals. The first game shall be played this Saturday, 12:00 NN at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Scores:
DLSU (72) – Castillo 23, Claro 13, Revillosa 10, Vergara 10, Penaranda 9, Dagdagan 3, Nunez 2, Gonzales 2, Arciga 0, Vela 0, Ali Mohamed El Hadad 0, Figueroa 0.
UE (50) – Sto. Domingo 22, Mendina 8, Tacula 7, Chan 6, Gayacao 4, Ramos 2, Relova 1, Francisco 0, Requiron 0.
Quarterscores: 15-16, 30-18, 52-31, 72-50.
