By: Jerome Lagunzad
Veteran center Katrina Guytingco made an inside bucket in stretch as Ateneo dodged University of the Philippines’ upset ax, 52-51, yesterday to seize the solo lead in the UAAP Season 80 women’s basketball tournament at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Cara Buendia came off the bench to finish with 10 points and eight rebounds, but it was Guytingco who saved the day for the Lady Eagles, leading to their second straight victory.
“It’s all about focus,” admitted Ateneo coach John Flores, heaving a big sigh of relief after the Lady Eagles survived another tough grind following a hard-earned 61-58 win over the Adamson Lady Falcons over the weekend.
UP dropped its second straight outing, but not after giving Ateneo a big scare.
Iriss Isip tallied a team-high 16 points, spiked by three triples, the last of them put the Lady Maroons on top 51-50 with 31.6 seconds to play.
Earlier, UE overcame an error-prone performance and a hard-fighting FEU side 59-56 to barge into the winners’ column.
