Faced with a similar situation as last year, the Ateneo Blue Eagles start the UAAP Season 88 stepladder semis with a grudge match against Adamson.
Ateneo aims to keep its championship dreams alive as the third-seed Blue Eagles take on fourth-ranked Adamson Lady Falcons in the knockout stepladder semifinals of the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament on Sunday, November 30, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Game time is 10:30 a.m., with the match also available on Pilipinas Live.
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Whoever wins the Ateneo–Adamson clash will take on second-ranked, defending champion NU Lady Bulldogs in another do-or-die affair — with the winner advancing to meet unbeaten UST in the best-of-three Finals series.
Ateneo closed out the elimination round at 8–6 but carried a two-game losing skid into the semis.
That slump included a 77–71 setback to Adamson and a 73–72 heartbreaker to DLSU, sealed by Kyla Go’s late-game heroics.
Reigning two-time MVP Kacey Dela Rosa recorded a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds, along with five blocks and four steals in that game as Kai Oani added 13 markers.
Notably, the Blue Eagles lost to Adamson in the same scenario. Can Ateneo rise to the occasion and move on this time?
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]