Lady Warriors end long drought

After two years, University of the East’s (UE) search for a win is finally over.

The Lady Warriors snapped their 31-game losing streak, holding off a late fourth-quarter rally by De La Salle University to escape with a 68-65 victory and open the second round on a winning note in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 women’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The breakthrough marked UE’s first win since 22 September 2024, when the Lady Warriors also defeated La Salle by 18 points during Season 87 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas (UST) opened its second-round campaign with a dominant 93-65 wire-to-wire victory over the University of the Philippines to extend its winning streak to eight.

After surviving a strong first-half surge from the Fighting Maroons in their previous meeting more than 72 hours ago, the Growling Tigresses left no room for doubt this time, never surrendering the lead and stretching their advantage to as much as 35 points.

With the victory, UE improved to 1-7 under head coach Ian Valdez, matching La Salle’s record.

“I am very happy with how the team played today. I can't quite express it—it's also my first time winning here in the UAAP, so I'm very happy. I can't explain what I'm feeling right now,” second-year head coach Ian Valdez said.

“All the sacrifices for the past two years... where we hadn't won yet, it feels like all our sacrifices and everything I've been teaching my players have finally paid off.”

Both teams struggled to establish a comfortable lead in the third quarter before Sy Oñate’s floater gave UE an eight-point cushion midway through the period, 45-38. La Salle gradually chipped away at the deficit, but Roshelle Lumibao drained a triple just before the buzzer to preserve the Lady Warriors’ five-point advantage, 48-43.

UE struggled to find its footing in the final period as La Salle’s defense sparked a 9-2 run, capped by Bukky Ojo’s free throw that trimmed the deficit to three, 55-52.

However, the Lady Warriors quickly regained their momentum as Rachel Lacayanga knocked down a triple before Oñate converted a layup to extend UE’s lead to seven, 60-53, with just over three minutes remaining.

La Salle refused to go down without a fight, mounting an 11-3 run highlighted by baskets from Go, Zyla Lubrico, and Ojo to pull within one, 64-63, with just over a minute left.

Aliyah Ronquilo answered on the ensuing possession, burying a timely triple to restore UE’s four-point cushion, 67-63, with 1:26 remaining.

Oñate then converted both free throws to keep the Lady Warriors in control, while Steph Villapando and Kitkat Tenebro missed crucial opportunities to bring La Salle closer in the closing stretch.

Although Lira Ramos missed both free throws that could have further widened UE’s lead, the Lady Warriors held on to end their two-year winless drought.

Oñate paced the Lady Warriors with 25 points, two rebounds, and one steal, while Lacayanga posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, alongside two assists.

Meanwhile, Ojo led the Lady Archers with a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds. Go also recorded a double-double, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.