By Krizza Gabrielle Tabora
Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraw Victoria Pasilang emphasized discipline and defensive focus as the green-and-gold squad asserted dominance over the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, 81-63, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 women’s basketball tourney earlier today, November 4, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
“Disiplina sa depensa, kasi ayun ‘yung sinasabi ni Coach Raiza [Palmera-Dy] sa amin na kailangan depensa talaga ‘yung mauuna, tapos tulungan lang sa court (Discipline in defense, because that’s what Coach Raiza tells us, that defense should come first, and continue helping each other on the court),” the forward player noted.
The Lady Tamaraws immediately took control in the opening quarter, building a 20-point advantage from layups and jumpers to overtake the Lady Warriors, 32-12.
Aiming to protect their lead, Max Dela Torre led the green-and-gold squad’s offensive push with multiple markers from beyond the arc as they headed into halftime, 35-16.
However, the Lady Tamaraws went through a scoring drought in the second frame as Lady Warriors Kezza Buscar and Aliyah Ronquillo nailed jumpers to narrow the scoring gap for the red-and-white squad, 48-31.
Shaking off their second-quarter jitters, FEU quickly ended its offensive slump as Dela Torre knocked down a three-pointer, with Pasilang following suit to extend the lead, 58-36.
Utilizing their defensive pressure to prevent the Recto-based team from catching up, Amyah Espanol and Marthe Kant each nailed consecutive layups for FEU, 66-49.
In hopes of continuing their dominance, EJ Lopez delivered back-to-back three-point shots with an assist from Shane Salvani, 75-60.
The Morayta-based squad eventually sealed their second victory in the second round with Pasilang and Jhoanna Ellorimo’s two-pointers, 81-63.
During the post-game conference, Lady Tamaraws head coach Palmera-Dy emphasized consistency and maturity as they continue their hunt for a Final Four berth.
“Aside from being consistent on both defense and offense, gusto ko makita ‘yung maturity. Because all of these players, wala pang experience in playoffs or finals. And, I think, in the past games, meron kami overtime, meron kami one-two… close fight kami. And that's something we want to learn moving forward: na maging mature ‘yung mga games namin (Aside from being consistent on both defense and offense, I want to see maturity. Because all of these players don’t have experience in playoffs or finals. And, I think, in the past games, we had overtime, we had one-two, we had a close fight. And that’s something we want to learn moving forward: for our games to be more mature,” she stated.
Pasilang led FEU’s scoring with 21 points, followed by Espanol with 17 and Dela Torre with 14.
Currently sitting third in the standings, the Lady Tamaraws aim to improve their 6-4 win-loss record as they face the University of Santo Tomas on Sunday, November 8, at the same venue.
(Photo by James Neil Tamayo/FEU Advocate)