The Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws were able to hold off a furious comeback by the De La Salle University Lady Archers to take a 70-62 win, Sunday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Isabel Balleser had an efficient outing with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting to go along with six rebounds while skipper Precious Arellado finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
“Sobrang saya dahil nakuha namin yung first game. Dito kasi magsisimula kung ano ang tatakbuhin ng season namin,” shared FEU skipper Precious Arellado.
Though the Lady Tamaraws led for the majority of the game, last season’s runners-up did not go down without a fight even if three of their key players were out. Leading scorer Camille Claro, bigs Benette Revillosa, and Susan Al-Mohamed were out with ACL injuries.
Down by as much as 15 points, 58-43, with 25 seconds remaining in the third frame, the Lady Archers turned things around in the final frame. Khate Castillo and Joehanna Arciga sparked La Salle, cutting the lead to as low as six points with 32.7 seconds left. Free throws by Camille Taguiam and Precious Arellado bucked La Salle’s bid however.
“Nag-focus lang kami sa defense namin. Sabi kasi nila coach na makukuha namin yung opensa namin sa depensa,” Arellado added.
Castillo knocked down seven triples for La Salle for 21 points to go along with 14 boards. Arciga added 17 points and 10 rebounds.
FEU will next face the UE Lady Warriors on Wednesday, September 13 at 8:00am. La Salle, on the other hand, faces the NU Lady Bulldogs on Saturday, September 16 at 8:00am.
The Scores:
FEU 70 – Balleser 16, Arellado 15, Mamaril 12, Ouano 9, Taguiam 7, Quiapo 4, Bastatas 4, Jumuad 2, Gerner 1, Okunlola 0, Payadon 0.
DLSU 62 – Castillo 21, Arciga 17, Torres 6, Dagdagan 5, Paraiso 5, Figueroa 5, Jimenez 2, Vergara 1, Nunez 0, Del Ocampo 0, Javier 0.
Quarterscores: 25-15, 46-35, 58-43, 70-62.
