Lady Eagles end first round with a victory over Amazons

In their last game for the first round eliminations, the Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles soared against the University of the East Amazons, 67-45, Wednesday afternoon at the Blue Eagle Gym.

In the first quarter, Denise Tiu ignited the game for the Lady Eagles with her consecutive field goals. However, the Amazons proved that they will not surrender easily; they managed to keep close to Ateneo and respond to every basket made by the Lady Eagles. Valerie Chua hit a long jumper at 2:33 in the first quarter that tied the ballgame at 6-6. It was a close opening quarter but Ateneo showed that they will make the most of every possession and that they are in it to win it. With less than a minute in the first quarter, Jennifer Dimaano hits a quick 2 pointer that gave Ateneo the lead, 14-11.

The Lady Eagles became more aggressive in the second quarter. They were penetrating through the basket, forcing turnovers, and maximizing on second-chance points. Sara Bo-ot delivered a fastbreak and immediately after she was able to steal the ball and give it to Sarah Mercado for an easy lay-up. The consecutive conversions of the Lady Eagles rattled the Amazons which left the UE dribblers, scoreless for the most part of the quarter. The Lady Eagles exhibited impressive ball rotation, anticipation and unyielding defense which allowed them to score 22 points in the quarter against the UE’s 4 points. Ateneo’s offense was impeccable and with less than two minutes in the quarter Angel Morales hits the first 3-point basket of the ball game that gave Ateneo a comfortable lead, 36-15.

At the opening of the second half, the Amazons attempted to catch up but this came to no avail, as the Lady Eagles continue to dominate the ballgame. Ateneo’s second-string stepped up and contributed 47 of the total 67 points of the Lady Eagles. Mary Claire Aseron led the pack, with a total of 11 points followed by Corrine Javier and Jennifer Dimaano both with 10 points each and Therese Estrada with 8 points, all of which were coming from the Ateneo bench. More so, UE was beleaguered with turnovers and fouls that disabled them from turning the tables around.

In the last quarter, UE still forced to make a comeback. It rained three-point shots in the side of the Amazons, which sent them to their highest-scoring quarter with 18 points. However this was not enough to pull down the Lady Eagles as they preserve their strong lead. UE improved their defense, but Ateneo rose above as Dimaano hit a lay-up just before the 24-second shot clock expired. With less than a minute, Mercado sinks a field goal and in the dying seconds of the game Dimaano, hitting a quick two, sealed the game for the Blue and White,67-45.

The Lady Eagles’ ball control and teamwork enabled them to end round one with an all-season-high of 67 points. They also minimized turnovers and fouls. Everyone from the team stepped up and made sure that each possession is not put to waste.

The Ateneo Lady Eagles start the second round of Women’s Basketball action on Sunday, August 14, when they go up against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, 3 pm, at the Blue Eagle Gym.

Written by: Julienne Manalang