Ateneo de Manila University narrowly survived a late-game surge from Luisa San Juan, escaping Adamson Gym with a 65-62 victory over De La Salle University to bounce back in their rivalry game in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday.
Dominant performances of reigning Most Valuable Player Kacey Dela Rosa, Junize Calago, rookie Kai Oani, and Nigerian center Sarah Makanjuola led the way as the Blue Eagles built a commanding 47-29 lead early in the third quarter.
By the end of the period, Ateneo held a comfortable 51-38 cushion.
However, San Juan came alive in the fourth quarter, igniting a comeback for La Salle.
“I think we started slow sa game and ended slower. We adjusted late at sa aming coaches na ‘yun. San Juan got into a flow,” lamented Blue Eagles assistant coach Bacon Austria, as head coach LA Mumar was unavailable for the post-game scrum.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
San Juan, a third-year Filipino-British forward, found her rhythm from beyond the arc, draining four triples to cut Ateneo’s lead to 62-59 with four minutes remaining.
Calago managed to split her free throws, but La Salle’s Bea Dalisay immediately responded with a three-pointer, bringing the Lady Archers within one point with 31.5 seconds left on the clock.
Despite getting crucial stops, La Salle couldn’t capitalize on a go-ahead attempt, sending Oani to the free-throw line with just 2.8 seconds remaining.
The 18-year-old Filipino-American guard calmly sank both of her free throws, extending Ateneo’s lead to 65-62.
San Juan’s desperation heave at the buzzer missed, sealing the victory for Ateneo, who improved to 2-1 and now shares fourth place with Adamson. Meanwhile, La Salle dropped to 0-3.
“It’s a rivalry game, so it’s big for us. A win against La Salle is a win against La Salle. It’s a good test for us, but there’s still so much to learn,” Austria added, noting that it was a solid bounce-back win after their 54-77 defeat to the University of Santo Tomas last Wednesday.
Dela Rosa continued her stellar play, recording another double-double with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks, though she was limited to just eight points in the second half.
“Tired. It was physical,” said the 6-foot Dela Rosa. “But we came in prepared.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Calago and Oani contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively, while Makanjuola added eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
The Blue Eagles will face the Adamson Soaring Falcons next on Saturday at 1:30 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
On the other side, San Juan finished with a career-high 24 points, while graduating forward Bernice Paraiso added 13 points and seven rebounds for La Salle.
The Lady Archers will aim to secure their first win when they take on the UE Lady Warriors on Sunday at 1:30 PM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
Ateneo 65 – Dela Rosa 24, Calago 13, Oani 10, Makanjuila 8, Villacruz 7, Batongbakal 3, Eufemiano 0, Nieves 0, Angala 0, Aquirre 0, Cancio 0, Cruza 0.
DLSU 62 – San Juan 24, Paraiso 13, Dalisay 6, Santos 5, Sario 5, Dela Paz 4, Sunga 4, Delos Reyes 1, Camba 0, Mendoza 0, Rodriguez 0, Baciento 0.
Quarterscores: 17-14, 37-29, 51-38, 65-62.
