FEU tramples Lady Eagles, 46-68

The Ateneo Lady Eagles were unable to build on last week’s opening day win, as they fell to the FEU Lady Tamaraws, 46-68, last July 19, 2010 at the PhilSports Arena. The game was a lot closer than the final score indicated, but the combination of the Lady Eagles getting beaten on the boards (64-42), as well as poor shooting, led to the lopsided final score.

The Lady Eagles started with team captain Mariana Lopa , Denise Tiu, Valerie Chua, Sarah Mercado, and playmaker Jen Dimaano, a lineup with an interesting mix of veteran experience, athleticism, and youthful energy. Sarah Mercado was aggressive from the get-go, showing off an impressive offensive repertoire complete with effective slashes inside, and complimented by a much-improved outside game. The Lady Tamaraws, on the other hand, attacked with senior guard Jocy Positos, who created opportunities for her teammates through her forays in the paint, which Ateneo was not able to stop.

FEU as a whole was very patient in moving the ball and not forcing the issue against the tight Ateneo defense. However, they were unable to put the ball in the basket, and that, coupled with Ateneo’s complete team effort on the defensive end, kept the Lady Eagles in the game. FEU lost their advantage of having bigger and taller players, due to Ateneo’s hustle and gang-rebounding. Through solid playmaking and defense, though, FEU validated their status as championship contenders, and refused to hand over the lead to the Lady Eagles. The first quarter ended with FEU on top, 13-9.

Ateneo countered FEU, who had started a full-court press halfway through the first quarter, by using a press of their own to start the second. With both teams hustling back and forth, playing a run-and-gun style, the pace of the game quickly sped up. Denise Tiu was a one-woman press break as her ball-handling skills allowed the Lady Eagles to advance the ball even against the pressure of the FEU guards. The women of FEU continued to pound the ball to their bigs inside, who scored almost at will and widened the deficit. The entry of Jen Dimaano at the five-minute mark seemed to energize the slumping Lady Eagles, who had been staring at an FEU run up until that moment. The sophomore guard pushed the ball at every opportunity, startling the FEU defense and creating plays for her teammates.

With four minutes left in the second quarter and FEU up by six, Dimaano passed the ball to Denise Tiu who made the shot and got fouled. Tiu calmly sank both her free throws, and blocked a streaking Positos at the other end, causing the Ateneo gallery to erupt in cheers. Pressure defense kept the lead from ballooning even more, but FEU’s patience and their stroke from the outside kept things difficult for the Lady Eagles. A Raiza Palmera deuce pushed the lead to the eleven, 33-21, a few seconds before the buzzer signaling the end of the first half sounded.

The third quarter saw the Lady Eagles continuing to struggle to defend against FEU’s overpowering offensive assault. FEU’s vaunted troika of Palmera, Positos, and Allana Lim continued to run whenever they could, and finish on the break. The biggest difference was the complete lack of second chance points for the Lady Eagles. FEU’s big players, let by Claudine Supnet, collared every rebound that came their way, taking up space under the basket. The Lady Eagles were unable to box-out their matchups, and this led to several extra possessions for the Lady Tamaraws, which they were all too eager to capitalize on. Ateneo played very unselfishly, with Dimaano and Lopa slicing into the lane and finding open teammates, but poor shooting and the lack of an inside presence proved to be problems too big for the women clad in blue and white to overcome.

There was a silver lining to be found in the loss, however. The fourth quarter saw the Lady Eagles come out firing and focused. The women in blue simply refused to just back down and wave the white flag, playing the quarter as if the lead was just one instead of twenty-one. They challenged FEU and continued to hustle and play pressure defense. Sarah Mercado led the charge, scoring on three straight possessions. Samantha Ong (3 BS PSY) uncorked a three with 4:04 left in the game, cutting the lead down, but it was a little too late as FEU’s Raiza Palmera scored in succession to stymie the Ateneo run. Supnet iced the game by canning one of two freethrows, for a final tally of 68-46.

Palmera would lead all scorers with 27 points, while her partner-in-crime Allana Lim pulled in a double-double performance with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Center Claudine Supnet asserted FEU’s mastery of the boards with 13 rebounds of her own, 8 on the offensive end. Sarah Mercado flashed her potential as an offensive juggernaut, topscoring for the Eagles with 16 points. The senior also hauled in 9 rebounds. Sam Ong and Denise Tiu chipped in with 7 and 5 points, respectively. Rookie guard Allysa Dogong played well in limited minutes, backing up Jen Dimaano.

Now at 1-1, the Ateneo Lady Eagles look to propel themselves back above .500 when they go up against the NU Bulldogs on July 25, Sunday, at the Philsports Arena.

By Diego Santiago