Fresh off an emphatic 97-81 win over their archrivals, the ADMU Blue Eagles, the DLSU Green Archers open the second round of the UAAP Season 79 Men’s Basketball Tournament against the AdU Soaring Falcons.
With head coach Aldin Ayo back from a one-game suspension, the Green Archers will look to pick up where they left off. As of press time, it is still unknown if Jeron Teng will make his return from injury. Even amid a formidable line-up and riding a first round sweep, the Green-and-White is geared up to put relentless pressure on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, the Lasallians meet a Final Four contender in AdU, as head coach Franz Pumaren hopes to figure out the defensive puzzle of La Salle that no team has managed to solve.
First round matchup
In their first meeting, La Salle imposed its will on the Soaring Falcons, coming away with a 91-75 victory. MVP contender Ben Mbala and Kib Montalbo were instrumental in the win. Mbala had his way, scoring 21 points, while amassing 16 rebounds and three blocked shots. Additionally, Montalbo had an all-around game with 12 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
Rookie guard Jerrick Ahamnisi led the game with 22 points to banner AdU, while big man Papi Sarr had a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds. Despite outscoring DLSU from the three-point line, 37-29, AdU was exposed inside the paint, and was outscored, 46-18.
Mbala and Sarr will once again go head-to-head to control the post and give their respective teams inside scoring, vital rim protection, and rebounding.
Battle of the guards
The backcourt will be an interesting aspect in the upcoming second-round encounter with Andrei Caracut and Montalbo pacing La Salle against Robbie Manalang and Ahanmisi of AdU. Coming off a strong 14-point outing against the ADMU Blue Eagles, Caracut is is expected to deliver another similar performance for the Green-and-White. Likewise, Montalbo will provide his impact on the defensive end, as the cat-quick guard leads the league in steals, averaging 2.86 a game.
On the other side, Manalang and Ahamnisi have been Adamson’s most consistent performers, with the former averaging a tournament-leading 4.29 assists an outing, and the latter being the fourth leading scorer with 15.86 points per game.
It should be an intriguing matchup, as both teams have been known for putting up points on the board. For the undefeated Green Archers to withstand the Soaring Falcons, they will again need to counter AdU’s three-point shooting. Conversely, AdU must contain their turnovers amidst the pesky DLSU defense.
The Green Archers and Soaring Falcons square off tomorrow, Sunday, October 9, at 4 pm in the Mall of Asia Arena.
