Clare Castro’s specter once again delivered the goods for the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws.
Gunning for its fifth win in the UAAP Season 81 Women’s Basketball Tournament, FEU relied on Castro’s ceiling to dismantle the De La Salle University Lady Archers, 77-55, Sunday afternoon at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
The Cavite native powered the Lady Tamaraws with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
“Sabi ko one game at a time,” narrated FEU coach Bert Flores. “Ma-stop lang natin yung mga shooter nila na sina Castillo, Claro tapos si Nunez… Yun nga kahit papano yung stats (nila) bumaba.”
The Lady Tamaraws started the game brighter than their Lasallian counterparts. FEU climbed back from a 23-30 deficit with a 17-0 run capped off by Valerie Mamaril to lead 40-30 at halftime.
Castro’s presence in the paint allowed FEU to extend its dominance over La Salle throughout the third period. The center made good use of her height advantage to lift the Lady Tamaraws to a 49-34 separation after just three minutes of play in the period. Blanche Bahuyan then extended it to 60-40 at the 1:49 mark of the quarter.
“Tapos dun kami ulit kay (Castro). Kasi kailangan triple, double (defense) sila kay Clare Castro eh,” recounted the UAAP champion coach who playfully calls her Junemar Fajardo because of her importance in his team.
It was FEU’s game to lose with a 62-43 cushion before the fourth quarter. Back-to-back threes by Castro and Quiapo provided the Lady Tamaraws with a 68-43 cushion while Mamaril’s lay-up handed the Morayta school its biggest lead at 75-49 with 2:30 left in the game.
Fatima Quiapo followed Castro’s example with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Valerie Mamaril provided 18 points to the Lady Tamaraws’ cause while Camille Taguiam chipped in eight points, five boards and six assists as well.
Rebounds were FEU’s platform for its, seizing 65 boards from which 30 came at the opposing end. These rebounds led to 24 second chance points for FEU. Flores’ team also shot 27.59 percent from the perimeter compared to the Lady Archers’ 15.38 percent.
Kathleen Nunez paced the Lady Archers with 14 points. La Salle’s dynamic duo of Khate Castillo and Camille Claro combined to shoot just 6-for-19 from the field.
FEU (4-1) will gun for its fifth win against University of Santo Tomas on October 6, 11:00 AM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. La Salle (2-2) shall also play against UST next on October 3, 8:00 AM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Scores:
FEU (77) – Castro 22, Mamaril 18, Quiapo 10, Taguiam 8, Adriano 7, Bahuyan 6, Antiola 4, Vidal 2, Payadon 0.
DLSU (55) – Nunez 14, Arciga 8, Castillo 7, Claro 6, Torres 6, Quingco 5, Paraiso 4, Del Ocampo 3, Revillosa 2, Binaohan 0, Jimenez 0.
Quarterscores: 18-16, 40-30, 62-43, 77-55.
