Ateneo delivered a decisive fourth-quarter rally to eliminate Adamson, 66-56, and advance to the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Basketball stepladder semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 30, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Leading by six entering the final frame, the Blue Eagles dropped an 11-0 blitz spearheaded by Kacey Dela Rosa, Kate Cancio, Camille Malagar and Kai Oani to build a 17-point lead with six minutes left, 65-48, and never looked back.
Kemi Adeshina fought back for the Lady Falcons after completing two free throws to trim the gap to 54-66 but it turned out to be their last stand.
“Adamson made a run but our defense held up. That’s what we talked about. We really admire Adamson; we learned a lot of things from them. They were a very tough team,” said Ateneo head coach LA Mumar.
Dela Rosa anchored Ateneo with 17 points, 20 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal, while Oani and Malagar added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Sarah Makanjuola produced nine points, 16 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks—though her seven turnovers remain a point of concern.
With the win, the Blue Eagles set up a showdown with defending champion and second seed National University on Wednesday. The winner of that matchup will face University of Santo Tomas — which earned an outright finals berth after a 14-0 eliminations sweep — for the crown.
Dela Rosa said she was eager for that match against NU as Ateneo seeks to end its finals drought. They last reached the Finals in 2015.
“Gusto ko lang din mapatunayan sa NU na hindi lang sila ‘yung kaya makipagcompete sa ganoong level pero kami rin. We just pray for that win,” said Dela Rosa, whose team hopes to avenge their two elims defeats to the Lady Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, Elaine Etang led Adamson with 18 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals, while Adeshina chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds, but their efforts all went down the drain.
