Lady Tams overpower Lady Archers, sweep first round

MANILA, Philippines - Taking the lead from their men’s counterparts, the Far Eastern U Lady Tamaraws swept the first round of the UAAP Season 76 women’s basketball competitions via a 70-49 rout of La Salle at the Filoil Arena in San Juan yesterday.

The three-peat-seeking Lady Tams drew 10 points or more from Camille Sambile (19), Marites Albano (14), Jack Tanaman (10) and Vangie Soriano (10) in a dominant performance that matched the 7-0 start of the Tams over at the men’s side.

The Lady Tams broke away from the Lady Archers with a 13-2 run in the second quarter built around Soriano’s two triples that sandwiched Tanaman’s trey and cruised from there, posting huge margins that reached as high as 70-39.

The FEU cagebelles’ winning streak actually stretched to 25 games dating back to Game Two of the Season 74 finals.

La Salle, which was led by Cass Santos’ nine markers, wound up with a 5-2 win-loss card for third spot halfway through the tourney, which is taking a break to give way to the FIBA-Asia Championship the country is hosting.

National U Lady Bulldogs turned back Santo Tomas, 81-69, to finish the first round with a second-best 6-1 slate. The Tigresses dropped to 3-4 for a share of fourth with Adamson and University of the Philippines.

The Lady Falcons shellacked winless Ateneo (0-7), 81-53, while the Lady Maroons swamped University of the East (1-6), 67-55, in the other games.