UAAP: Green Archers dominate NU, secure semis spot

After going back and forth for the first three quarters, the DLSU Green Archers eventually cruised past the NU Bulldogs in the fourth quarert, finishing with a dominant 68-56 win.

With the win, the Green Archers are now guaranteed a ticket back to the UAAP Final Four. Furthermore, they also earned a playoff spot for a twice-to-beat edge against FEU, setting up a virtual best-of-three between both teams for a finals berth.

The win gives La Salle a 10-4 record to end their elimination round campaign, the same record they had when they won the championship in last season’s tournament.

Almond Vosotros finally broke out from his shooting slump as he led the Green Archers with 15 points on 55 percent field goal shooting. Moreover, the veteran guard made three out of his four attempted three-pointers. Big men Arnold van Opstal and Norbert Torres also proved helpful in securing the win as they scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, while also making more than 50 percent of their shots.

“I just tried to play my game, that was about it. [The team just has to] stay aggressive and distribute the ball,” remarks van Opstal who also added six rebounds and three assists to his statline.

Though scoring a game-high of 18 points, Gelo Alolino’s efforts came up short as the Green Archers proved to be too much for the Bulldogs to handle. With the loss, theBulldogs are set to match up with the UE Red Warriors for the last spot of the Final Four, provided that UE beats the struggling UST Growling Tigers in their last elimination round game. A loss by UST gives NU a semifinal duel with the ADMU Blue Eagles.

With the ADMU winning their last game against FEU earlier in the day, Ateneo now holds the number one spot in the standings, and is guaranteed a twice-to-beat advantage in the first round of the playoffs. La Salle and FEU however, are both tied at second place and are set to meet again for the right to have the twice-to-beat advantage for the second consecutive season.

A tale of two halves

It was a back and forth game at the start of the first quarter, with neither able to gain a comfortable lead. The first period ended on a 20-17 lead with Almond Vosotros leading the Archers with eight points.

A bucket from Norbert Torres started the second quarter that gave La Salle a five-point advantage. However, the Bulldogs’ relentless rebounding and hustle allowed them to catch up to DLSU and even grab the lead that saw them go on an easy 12-2 run with about four minutes left at the half.

Turnovers did not help the Archers’ cause as they were forced to commit three giveaways at the second quarter, and seven in total for the first half. A late rally by the Taft-based squad to end the half tied the score at 31-apiece as both teams headed on to their respective huddles.

DLSU was led by the efforts of skilled big man Arnold Van Opstal who was the focal point of offense for most of La Salle’s possession. His post ability rewarded him with nine points along four rebounds and two dimes. Teammate Almond Vosotros contributed with eight in the first half, along fellow Archers Teng and N. Torres who posted seven each before the break. No other Archers scored apart from the four which is in stark contrast to NU’s spread attack that led to six players contributing a field goal headed by forward Troy Rosario.

The third quarter saw La Salle starting to gain a safe lead over the Bulldogs with the help of the balanced contributions of Perkins, van Opstal, Teng, and Vosotros. The quarter ended with La Salle up by six, 49-43.

No turning back

Leading by six after three quarters, everything worked perfectly for La Salle as their play in the final period would exhibit. The defense was stingy, tough, and all over the Bulldogs as the Green-and-White only allowed them to convert two baskets, with one coming at the final buzzer courtesy of a Nico Javelona corner three. Most of the Eric Altamirano-mentored team’s points during the fourth quarter were free throws, converting on eight of the twelve opportunities.

Along with their stellar defense, the Green Archers’ offense were on a roll come the final 12 minutes of the game as they not only picked apart the waning defense and morale of the NU Bulldogs but also made the most out of every possesion with almost every shot finding the bottom of the hoop.

Still, it was the efforts of big men Van Opstal and N. Torres who put the game away with their dominance inside the paint. Timely baskets of guards Vosotros and Kib Montalbo further doomed any chance of an NU comeback, with Montalbo posting five points off contested jumpers from the perimeter.

Next up for the Green Archers is the FEU Tamaraws whom they will face on September 21, 3pm at the Mall of Asia Arena. The winning team would secure the second seed in the standings, and be guaranteed a twice-to-beat advantage during the first round of the playoffs.

The Scores:

DLSU 68 – Vosotros 15, van Opstal 14, N. Torres 13, Teng 9, Perkins 8, Montalbo 5, Sargent 4, Rivero 0, Bolick 0, Mustre 0, Tratter 0

NU 56 – Alolino 18, Rosario 14, Javelona 8, Aroga 8, Khobuntin 4, Betayene 4, Diputado 0, Celda 0, Neypes 0, Perez 0