Okoli double-double goes for naught as Lady Archers fall short of Ateneo comeback

They may have lost the battle but they never folded to the opposition.

The De La Salle University Lady Archers experienced their first set back in the UAAP Season 82 Women’s Basketball Tournament, a 90-92 loss by archrivals Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles, Sunday morning at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Maureen Okoli led the Green and White with 19 points and 19 rebounds while Kent Pastrana sunk 21 baskets. Lee Sario also contributed 15 markers.

It’s just one game,” said La Salle mentor Cholo Villanueva. “We’re going to bounce back from thi game. I’m sure naman that we have the resiliency to come back in our next games.

Down by as much as 16 points near the end of the end of the third period, the La Salle came roaring back in the fourth quarter. An 11-5 closed by Maureen Okoli’s basket trimmed the deficit to 87-91 with less than a minute left in the contest.

Ateneo’s Zoe Chu sunk a free throw to give the Lady Eagles a five-point cushion with 25.5 seconds remaining and then Betts Binaohan’s charity and Bennette Revillosa’s lay-up inched the Lady Archers closer at 90-92.

The Lady Archers then played tight defense to prevent an Ateneo basket but they failed to convert in the game’s final possession and were left to lament the lapses in defense that allowed the Lady Eagles to amass a huge separation in the first place.

It is still a long way to go. Good thing we learned lessons from this game and hopefully we apply them in our next games,” added Villanueva. “(The players) showed heart not giving up on the game but we weren’t supposed to be in that kind of situation if we played defense from the first quarter. But the silver lining is we still came back in the game… It’s just unfortunate that we just fell short.

La Salle has a chance to redeem itself when it goes up against defending champions National University on September 11, 2019, 8:00 AM in the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.

Box scores:

La Salle 90 – Pastrana 21, Okoli 19, Sario 15, Espinaas 7, Binaohan 6, Quingco 6, Del Campo 5, Torres 5, Paraiso 4, Revillosa 2, Dalisay 0.

ADMU 92 – Villamor 20, Guytingco 15, Newsome 14, Yam 14, Chu 11, Joson 10, Nimes 8, Cancio, Payac, Moslares, De Dios.

Quarter scores: 30-26, 52-45, 63-77, 90-92

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