Two-time Most Valuable Player Kacey Dela Rosa delivered a dominant 20-20 performance as Ateneo de Manila University cruised past Far Eastern University (FEU) with an 82-70 victory to strengthen its hold on solo third place of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 88 women’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Eager to bounce back from a lopsided 47-69 loss to defending champion National University last Sunday, the Blue Eagles leaned on Dela Rosa’s all-around brilliance with 21 points, 23 rebounds, three blocks, three assists, and one steal to fend off the Lady Tamaraws’ late surge.

With Dela Rosa leading the charge, Ateneo improved to a 6-3 record, creating a two-game cushion over FEU (4-5) for solo third place in the eight-team standings.

“For us, a win is a win. There is some growth that needs to happen within our team, but we still played well. It was not the best ending, but I’ll take the win anytime,” Blue Eagles head coach LA Mumar said.

FEU tried to mount a comeback behind a Victoria Pasilang triple and an Amyah Espanol floater that trimmed the lead to 53-37, but Ateneo quickly countered with 10 straight points, highlighted by an Erica de Luna layup and an Oani three-pointer, to build a commanding 26-point, 63-37 lead.

Ateneo’s steady play through the first three quarters proved crucial as it held off FEU’s fiery fourth-quarter rally.

The trio of Espanol, MJ Manguiat and Shem Abatayo sparked a 20-2 blitz, with Abatayo knocking down two triples and a layup to cut the deficit to just seven points, 77-70, with 39.5 seconds left.

But time was not on FEU’s side as two free throws by Oani and an and-one play by Dela Rosa sealed the win — Ateneo’s sixth in nine outings.

Mika Malagar contributed 13 points, 10 of which came in the first half, alongside five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and a block. Oani added 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, plus four assists and two boards.