Lady Falcons soar over DLSU’s arrows for second win
Date Posted: September 12, 2024 at 02:12 PM
The Lady Falcons delivered a defensive masterclass bag their second win of the season, clawing De La Salle University, 65-54, in the UAAP 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament, today, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.
Adamson’s feisty defense resulted in 23 steals and forced the Lady Archers to commit 31 turnovers, while also outrebounding La Salle in the offensive end, 25-12.
Elaine Etang and Cheska Apag each registered five steals apiece to lead their team’s defensive efforts. Etang also posted 15 points, five rebounds and two assists en route to being hailed as the game’s top performer.
Kath Agojo also had 12 markers and five rebounds, while Cris Padilla had nine markers off three three-point bombs.
“I want to commend the players with the tight schedule, we only had two days to prepare, and they bought into what we wanted to do for La Salle, the girls responded well,” head coach Ryan Monteclaro said, also adding that their performance were results of their skills development trainings during the off-season.
The game also reflected what Monteclaro said in his recent interview with Adamson News where he said that leadership in the team will be by committee.
Despite a slow start in the first frame, the San Marcelino-based team launched a counter in the second quarter, overwhelming the Taft squad to erect a 33-23 advantage at halftime.
The Lady Archers tried to mount a few comebacks in the second half, however, the girls in blue and white just continued putting pressure against their foes, this time with their bench mob led by Etang, which outscored their Lasallian counterparts, 42-24.
With the win, Adamson now sits atop the standings with a 2-0 record, along with reigning champions, University of Santo Tomas (UST).
Monteclaro, though, admitted that for him, the top teams in the tournament remains to be the likes of UST, National University and University of the Philippines. However, the youthful mentor also expressed confidence in his wards despite early predictions already counting them out in the Final Four race.
“[There was this article showing teams under] title seekers, then contenders, and I emphasized to them that we’re in the “challengers” category of the three hierarchies. I was asking them, ‘Do you want to be challengers only?’” he recalled.
“I told them, ‘We’re not just challengers, we’re here to contend.’ Our term now, which we always say in the dugout, is that we’re going to “gatecrash. With these wins, hopefully, this will start something positive.”
Coincidentally, the term “gatecrashers” was also used by Soaring Falcons head coach Nash Racela during UAAP 85 when the Falcons beat De La Salle University in a playoff match to secure a Final Four spot.
The Lady Falcons will try to continue their streak this Sunday at their home court in San Marcelino as they face off against the Tigresses.
The Scores:
AdU 65 – Etang 15, Agojo 12, Padilla 9, Apag 6, Meniano 6, Alaba 5, Limbago 4, Adeshina 4, Mazo 2, Bajo 2, Cortez 0, Alaba 0, Ornopia 0.
DLSU 54 – Sario 12, Mendoza 10, Paraiso 7, Camba 6, Dela Paz 5, San Juan 5, Dalisay 4, Bacierto 3, Sunga 2, Delos Reyes 0, Villava-Cua 0, Rodriguez 0.
Quarterscores: 9-11, 33-23, 48-37, 65-54
