Action between Adamson and La Salle in the UAAP Season 88 women's basketball tournament, October 22, 2025 at the Mall of Asia Arena. UAAP Media
MANILA -- De La Salle University made it three wins in a row to end the first round of the UAAP Season 88 women's basketball tournament after escaping with a 53-52 win against Adamson University on Wednesday.
The Lady Archers broke the game open in the third quarter, building a 46-37 lead at the Mall of Asia Arena.
But Adamson did not go away quietly. With La Salle ahead 53-46 and 3:26 remaining, Cris Padilla sank a three-pointer, followed by a deuce from Kemi Adeshina, cutting the deficit to 53-51 with 1:46 left.
Padilla was fouled with 47.6 seconds to go, missing her first attempt before making the second to make it a one-point game, 53-52.
La Salle struggled to execute in the closing seconds, but they got a break as Adamson failed to capitalize. Jam Meniano's last three-point attempt missed, and a key defensive stop by Kyla Sunga sealed the victory for La Salle.
"For us, the girls didn't want to give up that lead today," said Lady Archers head coach Cholo Villanueva.
"We were in control of the game but we made mistakes down the stretch. Not relinquishing that lead and wanting to win the game, I credit the team for that. They have a winning mentality down the stretch to make the right plays," the former Green Archer added.
La Salle now holds a 3-4 record, sitting in solo fifth place, pending the results of Far Eastern University's (3-3) matchup against Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines' (2-4) game against University of Santo Tomas later in the day.
Zyla Lubrico led the Lady Archers with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Kyla Go added 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Kyla Sunga contributed eight points and five rebounds, and Shantei Dizon was perfect from the field, scoring eight points on 3-of-3 shooting.
Etang led the Lady Falcons with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals but struggled overall, shooting just 5-of-19 from the field.
Adeshina added seven points and six rebounds, while Cheska Apag was limited to four points on 2-of-11 shooting.
Adamson, last season's third-place finishers, ended the first round in seventh place with a 2-5 record.
The Scores:
DLSU (53) – Lubrico 12, Go 11, Sunga 8, S. Dizon 8, A. Dizon 4, Camba 3, Anastacio 3, Dela Paz 2, Villarin 2, Mendoza 0, Villapando 0, Delos Reyes 0.
AdU (52) – Etang 12, Adeshina 7, Padilla 6, Meniano 5, Bajo 5, Apag 4, Limbago 3, Munoz 3, A. Alaba 2, Mazo 0, Cortez 0.
Quarterscores: 14-13, 30-29, 46-37, 53-52