NU Lady Bulldogs’ Camille Clarin goes for a layup against the UE Lady Warriors in the UAAP Seaosn 87 women’s basketball tournament.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — National University extended its unbeaten streak to six games after routing University of the East, 67-39, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball tournament on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.
The Lady Bulldogs dominated the Lady Warriors from the get-go and led as many as 33 after Pringle Fabruada’s four straight points tallied a 62-39 spread with 3:30 left.
NU stretched its winning streak against UE to 27 games, limiting the latter to under 40 points — the first team to score below 40 since the Lady Bulldogs dealt the Lady Warriors a 61-point beating, 92-31, last Nov. 13, 2022 in Season 85.
READ: UAAP: NU beats UST, Adamson stuns Ateneo in women’s basketball
Every Lady Bulldog scored except Gheralyn Ico, who went scoreless in 11 minutes of action. Pringle Fabruada led NU’s rout with 11 points and three rebounds. Nicole Pring delivered 10 points, two assists, and one steal. Camille Clarin had nine points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Angel Surada added seven points, 12 rebounds, four steals, and two blocks.
“Every game, ang gusto namin is to give exposure as much as possible to every player that we have because they are working hard daily sa practice and their minutes would matter kung gaano kagaling naman yung ilalaro nila sa actual game,” said NU coach Aris Dimaunahan. “We got balanced minutes today, and yes, we got our sixth win, but that’s the goal for today after the final buzzer, we want to stay on top.”
NU eyes a first-round sweep against Ateneo next Saturday.
Rachel Lacayanga carried UE with 18 points and seven steals, while Kamba Kone chipped in seven points and 11 rebounds as they dropped to a 1-4 record.
Meanwhile, Adamson took down another Final Four contender, edging out the University of the Philippines, 60-56, for the solo third seed with a 4-2 record.
The Lady Falcons, who led as many as 14 in the second quarter, needed to overcome the late rally of the Fighting Maroons after Kaye Pesquera cut it down to just one, 55-54, with 1:36 left.
Cheska Apag stopped the bleeding for Adamson with a lay-up, 57-54, but Achrissa Maw continued to keep them within striking distance, 58-56, with 19.1 seconds left. However, UP couldn’t tie the game as Christie Bariquit missed her shot before Cris Padilla sank two free throws to seal the Lady Falcons’ win.
Victoria Adeshina, the UAAP Season 85 Mythical team member, led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds. Apag contributed 12 points, six rebounds, and five steals, while Elaine Etang added 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
“Before the start of the season, we were tackling each team one-by-one checking their holdovers and how they did the previous season. UP’s bread and butter from last year was its pressure defense. I think we were able to capitalize on that and limit our turnovers,” said Adamson coach Ryan Monteclaro, who is eyeing to bring back the team to its first Final Four stint since 2019.
READ: UAAP: NU improves to 3-0, FEU posts first win in women’s basketball
The Lady Falcons improved to a 4-2 record, gaining a full-game lead over the Ateneo Blue Eagles, who will face the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Sunday, and a one-and-a-half game cushion over the Lady Maroons, who dropped to fifth place.
After earning their first win over UP since Season 85 two years ago, Monteclaro said that his wards are finally transitioning from “gate crashers to contenders”, urging them to keep on working hard.
“I think they were really patient and I’m really happy and proud that this is a testament of maturity for them after a devastating loss against NU in the last game. I was saying that we needed to get back at this and we have to stay where we want to be,” said the second-year coach, referring to their 54-72 loss to NU last Wednesday.
UP slid to a 2-3 card despite Maw’s 16-point and seven-rebound effort. Filipino-French sophomore Ozar contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds but only went 1-of-6 from the free throw line including four straight misses down the stretch.
The Scores:
First Game:
AdU 60 – Adeshina 18, Apag 12, Etang 11, Agojo 6, Padilla 5, Limbago 3, Mazo 2, Omopia 2, Bajo 1, Meniano 0, A. Alaba 0, E. Alaba 0.
UP 56 – Maw 16, Ozar 15, Pesquera 8, Bariquit 6, Vingno 5, Tapawan 4, Mendoza 2, Sauz 0, Jimenez 0, Solitario 0, Quinquinio 0, Lozada 0, Barba 0.
Quarterscores: 9-16, 36-24, 44-38, 60-56
Second Game:
NU (67) – Fabruada 11, Pring 10, Clarin 9, Cayabyab 7, Surada 7, Konateh 7, Pagdulagan 3, Alterado 3, Canuto 2, Pingol 2, Talas 2, Medina 2, Betanio 1, Solis 1, Ico 0.
UE (39) – Lacayanga 18, Kone 7, Ronquillo 4, Ganade 3, Yanez 3, Vacalares 3, Ruiz 2, Cruz 0, Buscar 0, Lumibao 0, Agbay 0
Quarterscores: 25-8, 40-16, 53-25, 67-39