NO MORE MISS NICE LADY ARCHERS.
De La Salle University’s Lady Archers left no doubt this time around, convincingly dismantling the University of the East Lady Warriors 74-46 to kickstart their UAAP Season 87 second-round campaign in very dominant fashion on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It was the perfect response after their season-altering and stunning 65-47 first-round loss to the same UE squad, a defeat that ended the Lady Warriors’ 40-game losing streak dating back to Season 82. With that pain still fresh in their minds, La Salle came out defensively aggressive and offensively efficient, taking control right from the opening buzzer.
It was the proverbial eye of the tiger start as the Lady Archers quickly doubled UE’s first-quarter output, storming to a 24-12 lead, which ballooned to 50-27 by halftime.
Though UE briefly showed some pulse by cutting the deficit to 16 late in the third quarter (53-37), La Salle immediately slammed the door. An emphatic 14-0 run, capped early in the fourth, extended their lead to a fate-defining 30, sealing the game’s fate way before the game’s end.
“We just focused on correcting our mistakes,” La Salle head coach Cholo Villanueva said after the game. “In the first round, we had a lot of bad habits. We wanted to address those, fix what went wrong, and build better habits moving forward.”
La Salle’s win not only avenged their earlier stumble but also elevated their record to 2-6, pulling even with Far Eastern University for sixth place. FEU had earlier upset Adamson University in a thriller, 67-64.
Leading the charge for La Salle was Tricia Mendoza, who poured in 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, and added two blocks. Bernice Paraiso chipped in a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals, shooting an efficient 5-of-6 from the floor. Meanwhile, Arabell Bacierto and Luisa San Juan contributed 12 points apiece to round out La Salle’s balanced offensive attack.
Up next for La Salle is a matchup with Adamson University next Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, where they’ll look to continue building momentum.
For UE, the loss drops them to 1-7 on the season, anchored at the bottom of the standings.
Final Score:
- La Salle 74 — Mendoza 15, Paraiso 13, San Juan 12, Bacierto 12, Sunga 6, Dalisay 4, Sario 4, Dela Paz 4, Rodriguez 3, Delos Reyes 1, Villava-Cua 0, Santos 0, Camba 0, Catalan 0, Salado 0.
- UE 46 — Vacalares 12, Lacayanga 11, Kone 9, Ronquillo 7, Ganade 5, Yanez 2, Buscar 0, Cruz 0, Ruiz 0.
Quarter Scores: 24-12, 50-27, 57-37, 74-46.
