La Salle clinches Final Four berth; NU scores win No. 107

LA SALLE secured a Final Four ticket while unbeaten and reigning champion National University (NU) posted win No. 107 in the resumption of UAAP Season 85 women’s basketball tournament on Sunday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

The Lady Archers scraped past Adamson, 54-48, to solidify hold of second spot at 9-2 for a sure place in the semifinals as the pacesetting Bulldogs maintained their wide gap from the pack with a 92-31 domination of University of the East.

Charmine Torres fired 14 markers, seven boards and five steals with Fina Niantcho Tchuido posting a 10-point, 13-rebound to anchor the paint in La Salle’s fourth straight win.

“Reaching the Final Four is just one of our goals. But, again, we’re not yet done. We have three more games. We want to build good momentum going to the next phase of the tournament,” said La Salle head coach Cholo Villanueva.

For the six-time champion NU, all 16 players scored led by Kristine Cayabyab’s 17 in an emphatic 61-point drubbing of winless UE.

Camille Clarin (14) and Mikka Cacho (11) provided contributions for the Bulldogs, who led by as many as 65 points en route to a 12-0 slate to shore up their drive for a seventh straight championship.

“I think we really had a great week before this game. The challenge was how well we could translate those practices into the actual game today. I’m glad they did. They dominated the game today,” said coach Aris Dimaunahan.

Meanwhile, Christie Bariquit scored 19 as University of the Philippines smothered Far Eastern University (FEU) with a 73-56 win to stay in the thick of the Final Four race at 5-6.

Struggling Adamson (3-8), FEU (2-9) and UE (0-11) further slid down in the team standings with only three matches left. — John Bryan Ulanday