by Dwyane Harry L. Cabrera
Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws cave in to the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) Blue Eagles to suffer their first loss, 66-88, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 women’s basketball tournament earlier today, October 10, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Trailing by seven early in the opening quarter, FEU co-captain Amyah Espanol made her presence felt, leading a 6-2 run to cut the deficit to just two points, 12-14.
Just as things began to look promising, the green-and-gold squad struggled to contain Ateneo’s offensive attacks, ending the quarter down at 16-25.
With the score standing at 18-30, Espanol once again led the charge for the Morayta-based cagebelles as they dominated the paint, unleashing a 12-0 blitz to knot the score at 30-all.
However, the Lady Tamaraws were unable to sustain their momentum as the Blue Eagles mounted a late surge in the second frame, leaving FEU trailing by seven at halftime, 38-45.
A trade of baskets opened the third quarter with a 10-12 seesaw between the two teams, keeping the Morayta squad’s fighting chance within reach, 48-57.
Unable to contain the Ateneo’s offense led by Kacey Dela Rosa, the Morayta-based squad entered the final frame with a 19-point deficit, 52-71.
While FEU still showed heart and hustle as they tried to mount for a comeback, the blue-and-white squad proved their dominance, ending with a 66-88 loss for the Lady Tamaraws.
In an interview with FEU Advocate, Espanol expressed that they capitalized on their aggressiveness and height advantage in the first half.
“It’s just playing aggressively was the plan. Try and use our height advantage with the guards. We tried our best to do that in the beginning,” she said.
On the other note, the co-captain highlighted the adjustments that they need to work on for their next game.
“We’ll play UST [University of Santo Tomas] next and we know they have [a] good import. They’re good at crashing the boards. So we just need to do a better job at guarding, boxing out, [and] being more aggressive with our press,” Espanol added.
Despite the setback, Espanol listed 19 markers, seven boards and two steals, while Victoria Pasilang and Shane Salvani added 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Now sitting at a 2-1 win-loss record, the Lady Tamaraws are set to test their strength against the defending champions University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday, October 14, at the same venue.
(Photo by Ma. Louela Luna/FEU Advocate)