La Salle-Zobel earns historic first win in UAAP Girls Basketball

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 87 High School Girls Basketball Tournament Standings

UST 3-0
NUNS 2-1
DLSZ 1-2
Ateneo 0-3

Games Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre

8 a.m. – AdU vs Ateneo (Boys)
10 a.m. – UE vs UPIS (Boys)
12 noon – UST vs DLSZ (Boys)
2 p.m. – NUNS vs FEU-D (Boys)

DE LA SALLE-Zobel finally entered the win column in historic fashion, delivering a dominant 115-16 victory over archrival Ateneo de Manila University to wrap up the first round of the UAAP Season 87 High School Girls Basketball Tournament, Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

The Junior Lady Archers' 99-point win set a new UAAP girls' basketball record for the largest winning margin, surpassing the previous mark of 94 points set by the NU-Nazareth School Lady Bullpups in a 109-15 rout of the Blue Eagles last January 30.

Leading the charge for DLSZ was 18-year-old guard Erica de Luna, who came close to a quadruple-double with 34 points on 15-of-22 shooting, 13 steals, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.

“The girls played well and followed our system. We all know that when it's La Salle versus Ateneo, it's always competitive. They just enjoyed the game, and the rest followed,” said Junior Lady Archers head coach Louie Fernandez.

DLSZ wasted no time asserting dominance, opening the game with a blistering 33-0 first-quarter run. That explosive start paved the way for a commanding 61-6 halftime lead.

By the break, the Junior Lady Archers had held Ateneo to just 2-of-18 shooting from the field while forcing 32 turnovers.

The Blue Eagles’ only baskets in the first half came from a Tyler Templo three-pointer and a mid-range jumper in the second quarter.

The second half told the same story, as DLSZ outscored Ateneo 54-10 across the final two quarters to seal the record-breaking win.

The Junior Lady Archers shot an efficient 50-of-103 (48.5%) from the field while dishing out 33 assists. Their suffocating defense held the Blue Eagles to just 6-of-32 shooting and forced a staggering 73 turnovers.

Naima Navarro added 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Sofia Martinez chipped in 16 points, six steals, five rebounds, and one assist.

Aaliyah Reyes contributed 12 points, six steals, three rebounds, and one assist, while Princess Cordero stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and six steals.

Meanwhile, Ateneo remained winless at 0-3 to close the first round.

The Blue Eagles are still searching for their first-ever victory in UAAP girls’ basketball history, having gone 0-6 in the inaugural tournament back in Season 82.

Templo finished with seven points, eight rebounds, three steals, and one block, while Cesca Pangilinan added five points, six rebounds, and one steal.

Fifth Game (Girls):

DLSZ (115) - De Luna 34, Navarro 18, Martinez 16, Reyes 12, Cordero 8, Dominguez 8, Notar 6, Poral 6, Ogario 4, Vivanco 3.

Ateneo (16) - Templo 7, Pangilinan 5, Bacayo 2, Lo 1, Molina 1, Exconde 0, Doque 0, Cacanindin 0, Linaza 0, Burdeos 0, Bernardo 0, Lee 0.

Quarterscores: 33-0, 61-6, 84-10, 115-16.