After blowing double digit leads in their last three games, the DLSU Green Archers found themselves in unfamiliar territory against the NU Bulldogs, trailing by as much as 13 midway through the final quarter. Despite their sloppy 31.7 percent field goal shooting and a total of 18 turnovers, La Salle never gave up. The team mounted a rally, cutting the lead of NU to just 3, 59-56, after Thomas Torres banged in a three pointer with 16.4 seconds left to play, but it was too little too late for the Green Archers.
The Bulldogs eventually ran away with a 63-56 victory which pushed La Salle to its third loss over the last four games and they finished the first round with a lowly 3-4 slate and a fifth place standing. Reigning MVP Bobby Ray Parks led NU to its fourth victory with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists while center Emmanuel Mbe had 12 points and six rebounds of his own.
It was a sloppy game for the Green Archers but Arnold van Opstal tried to keep his team afloat with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Almond Vosotros, on the other hand, had 11 points, but the guard made just four out of his fourteen field goal attempts. One of the few bright notes for the team was their continued improvement from the free throw line. As a team, La Salle made 11 out of their 13 attempts, but their lack of fluidity, evidenced by their mere total of nine assists, spelled their doom in this game.
Game of runs
It was a close encounter early in the first quarter though until a whopping 16-4 run was imposed by NU to close the first quarter with an eleven point lead, 20-9. Meanwhile, the Green-and-White squad started the second canto with a 9-2 run led by van Opstal and Vosotros to trim the deficit to four points. Parks, however, surged for the Bulldogs and they finished the first half with a 33-25 lead.
During the third quarter, Vosotros scored nine points on three triples to lead the attack for La Salle. The Green Archers ended the quarter facing just a one point deficit, 42-43, after Norbert Torres and Jeron Teng finished the quarter with four straight points.
The Green Archers started the final quarter in poor fashion and failed to defend Parks, who made back-to-back three pointers to spark a 14-2 run to open the fourth quarter which gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the game, 57-44. La Salle’s late rally, led by van Opstal, fell short though and the Bulldogs ran away with their fourth win of the season.
Two week break
The UAAP will take a two-week break to make way for the FIBA Asia Basketball Championships which will be held from August 1 to 12. Second round action of the UAAP resumes on August 14 as the Green Archers will kick off the final stretch of the elimination round against the AdU Soaring Falcons at 2 pm in the Araneta Coliseum. Both teams are tied at 3-4 and will be raring for a win to keep their Final Four hopes afloat.
The Scores
NU 63: Parks 20, Mbe 12, Villamor 10, Alolino 9, Neypes 6, Rosario 4, Alejandro 2, Rono 0, Perez 0, Khobuntin 0, Javillionar 0, Javelona 0
DLSU 56: van Opstal 14, Vosotros 11, Teng 9, T. Torres 7, Perkins 6, Salem 5, N. Torres 2, Revilla 2, Tampus 0, de la Paz 0
Quarter scores: 20-9, 33-25, 43-42, 63-56
