The defending UAAP champions capped another dominant regular season with a rout.
One ticket to the UAAP Season 79 Women’s Basketball Tournament Finals has already been booked as the National University Lady Bulldogs eased to an 84-55 rout against the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons.
Afril Bernardino led NU with 21 points and 12 rebounds, today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Je-Anne Camelo, Ria Nabalan, and Florymae Ceno followed suit with 14, 12 and 12 points respectively.
It is the third straight year NU have swept the elimination round to reach the Finals. In addition to that fact, this result is the 46th consecutive win for the Lady Bulldogs.
“Well siyempre I feel so happy not only for myself, but for the kids. They really worked hard not only this season but off-season. I’m just so proud of them,” commented NU coach Pat Aquino.
NU went for the kill right from the tip-off, as the Lady Bulldogs raced to a 48-25 lead at the end of the half capped by Ceno’s trey. That edge skyrocketed in the third quarter, as Monique Del Carmen’s three-point shot at the 5:02 mark gave the Lady Bulldogs their biggest lead, 60-27.
With a 64-42 advantage at the beginning of the final period, NU simply coasted along the canto which it eventually won 84-55.
The Lady Bulldogs sweep means that the Final Four shall now follow a step-ladder format to decide who faces the Lady Bulldogs in the Finals.
NU’s three-point shooting was today against UP. The Lady Bulldogs shot 48 percent from beyond-the-arc, with the Lady Maroons only making 11.76 percent.
NU (14-0) shall now wait for the outcome of the post-season step-ladder to know who they will face in the Finals. In contrast, UP (2-12) have played their final game of the season.
“We’re still gonna practice everyday. We’ll work hard on our weaknesses and hopefully by the time the Finals come in, siguro we’re in top shape. We’ll be assessing what our weaknesses are, ano pa kulang namin, yung kailangan namin gawing offensively and defensively,” assured Aquino.
The Scores:
NU (84) – Bernardino 21, Camelo 14, Nabalan 12, Ceno 12, Del Carmen 8, Itesi 5, Animam 5, Harada 3, Layug 2, Rebadulla 2, Taneza 0, Lopez 0, Malana 0.
UP (55) – Wong 11, Esplana 11, Aliermo 10, Medina 6, Cruz 4, Ordoveza 4, Pesquera 4, Gatpatan 3, Ongsiako 2, Franco 0, Rodas 0, Tan 0, Lapid 0, Viray 0, Villanueva 0.
Quarterscores: 28-14, 48-25, 64-42, 84-55.
