The De La Salle University Lady Archers notched their third win of the UAAP Season 79 Women’s Basketball Tournament as they secured a 77-67 victory over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses.
Khate Castillo led the Lady Archers with 20 points, alongside Bennett Revillosa who produced 13 points and 9 rebounds today. They were followed by Snow Penaranda who had 10 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Lady Archers mentor Cholo Villanueva commented, “It’s a good character win. I was worried how the team was going to react after a loss, but they showed character, they showed the willingness to comeback from a loss. It’s a good sign for us.”
La Salle cemented their strong start in the game when a Castillo trey gave the Lady Archers 35-34 lead over the Growling Tigresses at the break.
It was in the third quarter when the Lady Archers pulled away. The Lady Archers pulled off a 16-0 run which was capped off by a Snow Penaranda free throw for a 54-38 advantage.
A Revillosa basket then made it 61-41, although a run from UST made it 62-49 at the end of the third quarter.
UST tried to mount a comeback late in the fourth quarter and another Gandalla trey made it 64-72 with roughly two minutes left. Nonetheless, La Salle put talk of any comeback to rest as Revillosa and Vergara scored to seal the game. The Lady Archers defeated the Growling Tigresses 77-67.
What won the game for La Salle was their defense. The Lady Archers made 30 turnovers, while they forced the Growling Tigresses to commit 45.
“When I started with La Salle, I played for coach Franz Pumaren. It’s the same system that we’re doing, creating turnovers and then having scoring opportunities on the other end,” explained Villanueva.
“That’s my philosophy when I was playing for La Salle. It’s the same thing.”
Another factor which helped La Salle was their three point shooting. The Lady Archers shot 31.82 percent from beyond-the-arc compared UST’s 28 percent.
Villanueva surmised, “We shot better from I think our previous games. Chay Vergara and Khate Castillo are getting their shots. They’re spacing out the floor. We’re moving the ball. We’re looking for the open man. We’re not forcing any shots.”
Up next for DLSU (3-1) will be Adamson University (2-2) on Saturday, September 24, at 8:00 AM, while UST (1-3) shall play against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws (1-3) on Saturday, October 1, at 10:00 AM. Both games will be in the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
DLSU (77) – Castillo 20, Revillosa 13, Penaranda 10, Vergara 10, Dagdagan 9, Arciga 5, Vela 4, Claro 3, Torres 2, Roxas 1, Nunez 0, Gonzales 0.
UST (67) – Gandalla 19, Anies 17, Larosa 16, Portillo 7, Felisarta 4, Rivera 2, Penaflor 2, Magdaluyo 0, Capilit 0, Jerez 0, Angeles 0, Aujero 0, Manuel 0.
Quarterscores: 18-16, 35-34, 62-49, 77-67.