The Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles are in the midst of a poor run of results in the UAAP Season 79 Women’s Basketball Tournament.
The Lady Eagles have already suffered four losses in six games, the latest of which was a 40-42 upset at the hands of the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons last September 28, 2016 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“We lacked focus and consistency,” lamented Ateneo captain Kristina Deacon.
“Coach John Flores was telling us we need to be consistent especially when it comes to the gameplan. I remember coach John saying every game, ‘Don’t fail the gameplan, let the gameplan fail you.’ Unfortunately we usually fail the gameplan. That’s what costs us the game.”
One major concern of the Lady Eagles so far has been their failure to control the boards. Ateneo has averaged 41 rebounds while giving away 48.7 away to their opponents. The student-athlete admitted that this was one issue the Lady Eagles needed to address to win more games.
“We were really working hard in training for the rebounds because we knew that it was actually the main concern why we were losing especially the Adamson game. The Lady Falcons got around 71 rebounds which was really high,” shared the Chevalier School of Angeles City product.
Perhaps the graduation of former center Danica Jose is the main cause of Ateneo’s rebounding woes. However, the AB – Interdisciplinary Studies student looked at the bigger picture.
The fifth-year center elaborated, “We’ve lost a lot of key players from last year and we have a different coach now and I think like what coach John said, with or without Danica Jose we’re still a pretty solid team. My teammates and I just have to trust the system.”
Deacon has averaged 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in six games for Ateneo this campaign. Up next for her and the rest of the Lady Eagles is a date against archrivals De La Salle University Lady Archers on October 2, 10:00 AM at the Mall of Asia Arena.
While Ateneo can’t take back those four losses, a win against La Salle could signal a new beginning this Season 79. “Our standing is at 2-4 and it’s not too late. We still have the second round and we’re pretty excited for the La Salle game. We have to get back on our feet,” concluded Deacon.
