National University breezed past Ateneo de Manila University with a commanding 20-point victory, 82-62, to kick off its second-round campaign in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday morning at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Lady Bulldogs’ quest for an elimination round sweep is off to a rousing start, marking their eighth consecutive victory and extending their winning streak over the Blue Eagles to an impressive 20 games.
The last time NU faced defeat against Ateneo was in the second round of Season 75 in 2012.
In contrast, the Blue Eagles’ back-to-back losses to the Lady Bulldogs have dropped them to a 4-4 record.
As of this writing, Ateneo holds solo fourth place, pending the results of the matchup between UST and UP – who both hold a 3-4 card – scheduled for later at 12:00 PM.
Rookie Cielo Pagdulagan continued her stellar performance, contributing 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. She also had seven assists, six rebounds, five steals, and zero turnovers, ending the match with a game-high plus-27 rating off the bench.
“It’s a testament kung gaano siya katibay kasi first round medyo up-and-down yung game niya. She’s finding yung consistency that we’re looking for her and I thought today was her breakout game. I’m happy that she responded well; numbers will tell you,” said NU head coach Aris Dimaunahan.
“Those numbers themselves tell about how dedicated she is and how open her heart and mind is sa mga advices na binibigay sa kanya when she was struggling in the first round.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Unlike their narrow 66-58 first-round win over the Blue Eagles on October 5, the Lady Bulldogs leaned on Cielo Pagdulagan, Aloha Betanio, Jainaba Konateh, and Marylene Solis to assert their dominance early.
The team delivered a strong 20-11 performance in the second quarter to take a 14-point lead, 39-25, at halftime.
Capitalizing on the absence of Ateneo’s lead guard Junize Calago – who fouled out early in the third quarter at the 7:18 mark – NU expanded its lead to a game-high 22 points, 56-34, capped by a layup and a three-pointer from Betanio.
“The one-week break between the first and second rounds really helped us prepare for this game specifically because we had a lot of time to process and lay down the game plan,” Dimaunahan added.
Betanio contributed 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, and four steals, while May Canuto also chipped in 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Konateh and Camille Clarin added eight and seven points, respectively, while Angel Surada made her presence felt with eight rebounds despite being limited to three points on 1-of-4 shooting.
Looking ahead, the Lady Bulldogs aim to maintain their undefeated slate when they clash with the UP Fighting Maroons next Sunday, October 20, at 6:00 PM at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Kacey Dela Rosa recorded her eighth straight double-double, finishing with 22 points and 17 rebounds, along with an assist and a block.
Meanwhile, Nigerian center Sarah Makanjoula was held to seven points on 2-of-8 shooting but still managed to grab 11 rebounds, along with two steals, one block, and one assist.
After fouling out, Calago concluded her day with six points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals, though she committed six turnovers.
Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles will look to snap their two-game skid against the reigning champions, the Growling Tigresses, on Saturday, October 19, at 10:00 AM at the same UST arena.
The Scores:
NU (82) – Pagdulagan 16, Betanio 11, Canuto 11, Konateh 8, Clarin 7, Villanueva 6, Pingol 5, Fabruada 4, Solis 4, Cayabyab 3, Surada 3, Ico 2, Alterado 2, Pring 0, Talas 0
Ateneo (62) – Dela Rosa 22, Makanjuola 7, Cruza 7, Calago 6, Batongbakal 6, Oani 6, Angala 5, Villacruz 2, Eufemiano 1, Nieves 0, Aquirre 0, Olivenza 0, Cancio 0, Lopez 0, Fetalvero 0.
Quarterscores: 19-14, 39-25, 64-47, 82-62.
