De La Salle University earned a breakthrough win in the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Basketball Tournament, downing a winless University of the East, 73-62, Wednesday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Determined to snap a six-game losing streak dating back to the second round of Season 87, the Lady Archers — even without Nigerian foreign student-athlete Nofisat Jimoh — showed composure and resilience in the clutch.
Kyla Sunga, Kyla Go, and Xyla Lubrico led the charge, helping La Salle overcome the Lady Warriors’ valiant stand in the payoff period.
With the morale-boosting victory, La Salle improved to a 1-4 win-loss record, securing their first UAAP women’s basketball win since a second-round Season 87 triumph over the University of the Philippines on November 10, 2024.
Coach Cholo Villanueva, currently the longest-tenured mentor in the league, emphasized patience in the Lady Archers’ rebuilding process.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“For us, it’s a rebuilding year. We lost about seven starters and players in the rotation, so our experience is the best teacher for us. Coming off [four] losses, we just found our mistakes and we just applied it today in this game,” Villanueva said, noting the departures of Lee Sario, Luisa San Juan, and Bernice Paraiso over the offseason.
“It’s a good thing na we started strong, we scored 34 points nung first quarter, mainly because of creating turnovers. I think what lacked on that fourth quarter was the zone defense na ginawa ng UE. We’ll be watching film and seeing what kind of mistakes we made,” he added.
A three-pointer by Princess Delig and a Rachel Lacayanga inside shot cut the deficit to 49-39 in the early moments of the third quarter.
La Salle then unleashed a decisive 17-6 run — highlighted by two consecutive floaters from Pau Anastacio and Sofia Catalan — to enter the payoff period with a comfortable 66-45 lead.
UE slowly regained its bearings, relying on Roshelle Lumibao, Mhariko Gullim, and Lacayanga to open the fourth quarter with a 14-3 surge, capped by a Lacayanga three-pointer. They trimmed the deficit to seven at 69-62 with exactly two minutes remaining.
However, La Salle’s strong performance through the first three quarters proved decisive.
The Lady Archers weathered UE’s final push, sealing the win with clutch layups from Go and Lubrico to restore a 73-62 cushion with 37 seconds left on the clock.
Go, in her best game since transferring to La Salle from Far Eastern University, posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. She also had three steals and two assists.
Sunga added 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and seven rebounds, while Lubrico finished with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Anastacio, who suited up for UE in Season 86, contributed nine points, four rebounds, and a block.
La Salle’s victory extended UE’s struggles, keeping the Lady Warriors winless through five games in Season 88 and stretching their dry spell to 15 straight outings since a Season 87 first-round win over La Salle on September 22, 2024.
Lacayanga led UE with an all-around performance of 21 points, eight steals, six rebounds, and a block, while Lumibao added 11 points, four rebounds, three steals, and a block.
Syvil Onate scored 10 points on 1-of-12 shooting but made all eight of her free throws and collected four rebounds.
Both teams return to action on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, with La Salle facing UP and UE continuing its hunt for an elusive win against Far Eastern University.
The Scores:
DLSU (73) – Go 14, Sunga 11, Lubrico 9, Anastacio 9, Mendoza 8, Delos Reyes 6, Villarin 4, A. Dizon 2, Camba 2, Catalan 2, S. Dizon 2, Dela Paz, Villapando 0, Araza 0.
UE (62) – Lacayanga 21, Lumibao 11, Onate 10, Delig 6, Buscar 4, Gullim 4, Ronquillo 4, Dalguntas 2, Yañez 0, Solomon 0, Trinidad 0, Lituania 0, Ramos 0, Gomez 0, Salise 0.
Quarterscores: 34-14, 49-34, 66-45, 73-62.
