De La Salle University added to the woes of a struggling University of the Philippines side, walking away with a 69-62 victory to secure its second consecutive win in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Lady Archers’ bid to end the year on a positive note got off to a strong start, improving their record to 4-8 with two games remaining.
The victory also broke the tie for fifth place in the standings between La Salle and UP.
“We are a bunch of competitors. As Lasallians, we compete in everything we do. We want to give our best every time we step on the floor, both inside and outside the court,” said La Salle head coach Cholo Villanueva.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Luisa San Juan, Kyla Sunga, Lee Sario, and Patricia Mendoza spearheaded a late 16-4 surge, giving the Lady Archers a comfortable 36-25 lead to close the first half.
UP fought back, cutting the deficit to nine, 45-36, but back-to-back triples by Luisa Dela Paz and Sario extended La Salle’s lead to 53-38 as the game entered the final period.
A late three-pointer by Mendoza and an inside basket from Sunga pushed La Salle’s lead to 62-48 in the fourth quarter. That sealed their fifth win in 12 games while avenging their 62-66 loss to UP in the first round last October 6.
“Even though we’re out of contention, we still have our own goals we want to achieve,” Villanueva added.
“As a team, we want to be competitive, represent the Green and White well, and show pride and heart on the floor.”
San Juan led La Salle with 18 points, four assists, one rebound, and one block, while Sario added 15 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Sunga contributed 14 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal, while Mendoza nearly posted a double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and three steals.
Looking ahead, La Salle will aim for its third consecutive win in a showdown against the undefeated National University on Wednesday, November 13, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Meanwhile, UP remains winless in the second round, now sitting at 3-9 and in a tie for sixth place with the FEU Lady Tamaraws. This marks their fifth consecutive defeat, following a 57-84 loss to the UST Growling Tigresses on October 12.
Achrissa Maw led the Fighting Maroons in the loss with 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Kaye Pesquera contributed 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Louna Ozar was held to just seven points on 3-of-13 shooting but also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists, and made three steals.
Camille Nolasco added five points, four rebounds, and three assists.
UP will look to snap its five-game losing streak when they face Far Eastern University on Saturday, November 16, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Scores:
DLSU (69) – San Juan 18, Sario 15, Sunga 14, Mendoza 11, Bacierto 4, Dela Paz 3, Binaohan 2, Paraiso 2, Dalisay 0, Santos 0, Camba 0.
UP (62) – Maw 25, Pesquera 14, Ozar 7, Nolasco 5, Mendoza 4, Bariquit 4, Solitario 3, Lozada 0, Tapawan 0, Vingno 0, Sauz 0, Quinquinio 0, Barba 0.
Quarterscores: 17-16, 36-25, 49-38, 69-62.
