UAAP: Adamson off to best start in 12 years in women’s basketball

Adamson’s Kim Limbago against UE in UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball.–UAAP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Adamson completed its best start in 12 years after dominating University of the East, 63-51, for solo third place in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball tournament on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.

Kim Limbago led Adamson’s collective effort with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and tallied three assists, two rebounds, and a steal as the Lady Falcons finished the first round with a 5-2 record only losing to defending champion University of Santo Tomas and runner-up National University.

The last time the Lady Falcons had this much success was back in Season 75 in 2012 when they finished third place after losing in a stepladder semifinals against La Salle.

READ: UAAP: NU goes 6-0, Adamson downs UP in women’s basketball

The Adamson Lady Falcons on their best start in 12 years. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/NlWdnqDaPC

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) October 6, 2024

Kemi Adeshina added seven points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, one steal, and an assist for Adamson. Angela Alaba chipped in seven points that went with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Elaine Etang dropped five points, six assists, four steals, and two rebounds.

“I’m very happy with how the first round went for us. It’s all about the effort of the players. We’ll just guide them,” said Adamson coach Ryan Monteclaro, who was still a player for the Falcons in 2012 when the women’s team had its finest first-round showing.

“It’s about how they execute, how they respond to all the things we’re trying to achieve and at the same time, I told them that with the win today, they’re putting themselves in the position to succeed.”

“It’s about time for the players that are getting minutes to reciprocate it. Meaning, to give back. You have to be a better teammate, how? Play their game in the first half and everyone will be happy. Moving forward, we want everyone to be ready,” he added.

Adamson entered halftime with a 20-point spread, 41-21. UE kicked off the third quarter with a 16-6 run as Ivy Yanez scored eight points to cut the deficit to 47-37. But the Lady Falcons were able to get their act together with nine unanswered points for a 56-37 advantage early in the fourth en route to their fifth win — surpassing last year’s four-win season.

Yanez had her breakout game with 16 points on a 46.7-percent shooting clip, six rebounds, three assists, and one block but UE slid to 1-6. Katherine Ruiz and Aliyah Ronquillo chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.

UP’s Achrissa Maw.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Meanwhile, UP erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter and eked out a 66-62 win over La Salle to end a two-game skid to finish the round with a 3-4 record.

Trailing 46-56, entering the fourth, Christie Bariquit capped a 12-0 run with back-to-back triples for a 62-60 UP lead with three minutes left before Bernice Paraiso tied the match with a short stab.

La Salle committed three turnovers in the last two minutes after two dribbling violations by Luisa San Juan and  Micay Rodriguez’s traveling violation. Kaye Pesquera and Bariquit sealed the win for the Fighting Maroons by making the crucial free throws.

READ: UAAP: NU sweeps first round, UST rises to 6-1 in women’s basketball

UP after ending a two-game skid to wrap up the first round. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/QqoCFuFIHE

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) October 6, 2024

“I’m just really so happy we won in the last game of our first round. We lost two consecutive games before this so we badly needed this entering the second round. I’m really proud of the girls that we held on and fought back from a huge deficit,” said UP coach Paul Ramos. “I think it was really just that the players were more clear with what they needed to do in any possession kasi it was evident in the last two games that we were lost with what to do with our offense.”

Achrissa Maw powered UP with 18 points on 7-of-12 from the field to go with eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Louna Ozar tallied a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds on top of six assists and a steal, while, Pesquera (3-of-12) and Bariquit (2-of-7) chipped in 11 points each.

The Lady Archers slipped to a 1-6 card in the first round. San Juan led the way with 23 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Paraiso had 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the loss.

The Scores:

First Game:

ADU (63) – Limbago 10, Alaba 7, Adeshina 7, Apag 6, Etang 5, Mazo 5, Bajo 5, Ornopia 4, Delos Santos 4, Agojo 3, Alaba 3, Manlimos 2, Meniano 2, Padilla 0, Trabado 0, Cortez 0.

UE (51) – Yanez 16, Ruiz 12, Ronquillo 10, Ganade 6, Kone 5, Cruz 2, Lumibao 0, Gomez 0, Vacalares 0, Buscar 0, Dalguntas 0.

Quarterscores: 23-6, 41-21, 53-37, 63-51

Second Game:

UP (66) – Maw 18, Ozar 13, Pesquera 11, Bariquit 11, Tapawan 8, Lozada 5, Mendoza 0, Jimenez 0, Barba 0, Sauz 0, Solitario 0, Nolasco 0, Quinquinio 0, Vingno 0.

DLSU (62) – San Juan 23, Paraiso 13, Sario 7, Dalisay 5, Camba 5, Mendoza 4, Sunga 3, Barcierto 2, Santos 0, Rodriguez 0, Dela Paz 0.

Quarterscores: 17-15, 35-33, 46-56, 66-62