No matter how the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws put it, the De La Salle Green Archers’ third consecutive championship would not be denied them. The Archers showed their real worth in beating the dangerous Tamaraws, 80-77, before an overflow crowd last October 5, 1991, at the Araneta Coliseum. The team, however, was not awarded the championship trophy since a protest was filed by the FEU coaching staff. Team manager Anton Montinola of FEU claimed that Antonio Espinosa should not have been allowed to play after committing his fifth and last foul off Johnny Abarrientos, 2:22 left in the game. But the table official only signaled four fouls and Derrick Pumaren called back Adi Papa whom he was already sending in to replace Espinosa. The game resumed and the clock moved for four seconds and was not reset, although no significant action occurred inside the court as neither team scored nor registered a foul. Right after the game was put into protest, a jubilant Derrick Pumaren said, “It might just be delayed but we won the game on the court.” Just in case the UAAP Board would order a replay of the game, their stand was that the boys would not play anymore. “As far as we are concerned, we are the champions,” he added. An unidentified player of FEU was heard saying that the loss was alright with them and it was only the coaching staff who wanted to pursue the protest.
Needing only a win to wrap up the title after topping the elimination round with a 12-2 card, the Archers came into the game with all the ammunition they needed, never allowing the Morayta-based dribblers to control the game. The crowd who supported them to no end with 19 repeated human waves, and the intensity that has been in question for the past few weeks was back for good. The Green Archers who played there was the team Derrick wanted. It was not the team that others were needling upon speculation as having internal problems. After trailing 2-3 barely 35 seconds into the ballgame, the Archers dropped a 21-8 bomb to take their biggest lead in the match, 23-11, at the halfway mark of the first half. This was made possible through the accurate sniping of Johnedel Cardel, fastbreak plays of Adi Papa, and the outside shots of Zandro Limpot. FEU came back strong and even managed to take the driver’s seat with the split free throw of Abarrientos, 41-40.
La Salle took the half, 44-43.
The second half was more fiercely fought as the two teams battled their way through five lead changes and four deadlocks, the last at 57-all with still 10 minutes and 47 seconds left in the ballgame. Cardel nailed a coliseum-rocking triple to give the lead to La Salle anew, 60-59. Espinosa followed it up with a twinner but Otto and Nestor Echano countered to allow FEU to savor their last taste of glory, 63-62, 8:21 remaining. From that point, it was the start of the Archers’ domination—the separation of the men from the boys. “We relied on our experience playing in four straight championships”, Pumaren said.
So menacing were Dwight “The Iceman” Lago and Antonio “The Wiz Kid” Espinosa who provided the clutch hits in the end. Espinosa was voted MVP of the game. Lago, who seemed to have developed the habit of exploding in big games, struck with six straight points and gave the Archers a five-point cushion, 76-71, 2 minutes and 38 seconds left, after a scary 70-68 lead. FEU kept knocking on the door with the two free throws of Joel Gaspar, 2:14 left. There was an exchange of baskets but FEU bungled on their next three offensive tries. Echano was fouled by Jonas Mariano of La Salle in the three-point area but he missed all three charity shots given to him, 11 ticks to go. Pablo collared the offensive rebound and scored for the Tamaraws which proved to be the last basket of the game. Derrick opted to call for his last time out and Papa raced to the Archer basket for a last shot that didn’t materialize. The final score: 80-77 in favor of the Archers.
La Salle was led by Zandro Limpot and Dwight Lago with 18 points apiece and Johnedel Cardel who played his last game for La Salle with 16 points. While FEU was bannered by national players Johnny Abarrientos and Victor Pablo by scoring 25 points each. The surprising data was La Salle only missed 1 free throw for an incredible percentage of 91% and shooting 51% from the floor. La Salle also converted five out of 10 three-point shots.
The FEU Tamaraws got their consolation when Johnny Abarrientos was adjudged Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the league. Named to the Mythical First Five were Abbarientos, Victor Pablo, Dennis Espino, Richie Ticzon, and Zandro Limpot. Members of the second team were Marlou Aquino, Binky Favis, Jolly Escobar, Dwight Lago, and Antonio Espinosa. Named Rookie of the Year was Paul Du of UP.
This article was published in The LaSallian‘s Archives 2024 special. To read more, visit bit.ly/TLSArchivesSpecial2024.
