National University sweeps Ateneo de Manila University this weekend as the Lady Bulldogs handily beat the Lady Eagles with a score of 59-50 at the Blue Eagle Gym.
Unlike the men’s basketball game between Ateneo and National University last July 26, the women’s division game between the two universities never got close. The Lady Bulldogs, with the help of burly frontcourt players Kristine Abriam and Gemma Miranda, stymied the Lady Eagles’ post presence and bullied their way against the centers of their opponents.
The opening minutes of the game saw the Lady Eagles burst to an 11-4 lead over the Lady Bulldogs with a series of transition lay-ups and a three pointer. After the first timeout of the game, Coach Patrick Aquino made the necessary adjustments on defense limiting the Lady Eagles to just 5 points in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the closing minutes of the quarter saw the Lady Bulldogs make a 9-2 run.
The second half saw the Lady Eagles make offensive spurts to close the gap Hazelle Yam was able to find her offensive groove during the 3rd quarter. However, at the 3:33 mark of the 3rd quarter, Yam sprained her ankle and had to leave the game. We will have more updates regarding her injury as news arrives.
The start of the last quarter saw the Ladies of Katipunan decrease the lead to as low as 8 points during the early part of the 4th quarter. The Lady Bulldogs were able to withstand that run with Shelley Gupilan and Afril Bernardino leading the charge as the lead grew into an insurmountable 18 point lead with 3 minutes left in the game.
The Lady Bulldogs were led by Shelley Gupilan with 15 points and 8 rebounds, with a 70% free throw shooting performance for the game. The Lady Eagles had Claire Aseron as their leading scorer with 11 points. Lady Eagles star Danica Jose was limited to just 7 points and just 4 shot attempts. She would however grab 14 rebounds for the game, 7 from the offensive glass.
