Coming off a win against the AdU Soaring Falcons, the DLSU Green Archers continue to advance through the first round unharmed. After missing the first two games of the tournament, the presence of reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player Ben Mbala stunned the Falcons after carrying the team with his double-double performance of 32 points and 10 rebounds. The Cameroonian has returned to play with DLSU after competing for a couple of weeks in the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket. Now, with a complete roster and outstanding performances thus far, the Green Archers will square off against the UP Fighting Maroons at 4 pm at the Mall of Asia Arena with the hopes of extending their streak and asserting dominance on both ends of the court.
Previous matchups
The Green-and-White currently stands alongside its archrival, ADMU, at the top of the standings after securing victories over FEU, AdU, and UE. Meanwhile, the team from Diliman holds a 2-1 win-loss record, dropping only a single match, against the undefeated ADMU Blue Eagles, and prevailing over winless teams, UST and UE, with Paul Desiderio hitting the game-winner against the Growling Tigers.
La Salle’s previous game was an all-out dominating performance from Mbala. The big man displayed an improvement in his three-point shooting, making two out of four, and showed tenacity inside the paint highlighted by a spin-move dunk midway through the third quarter. The reigning MVP has added weapons in his arsenal, making him a glaring threat for other teams.
Aljun Melecio and veteran Kib Montalbo have also contributed to the team’s winning ways, with Melecio providing a bulk of the scoring and Montalbo anchoring the defense with timely defensive plays.
UP, on the other hand, defeated UE in its previous outing behind Desiderio’s career-high 28 points on nine out of 16 shooting from the field. The off-guard got back to his seamless shooting after slumping in their first two games. Malinese import Ibrahim Outtara also chipped in with 14 points and 18 rebounds in their latest winning effort.
Keys to winning
Although the Green Archers have been efficient in their previous games as portrayed by their current standing, the team still has room for improvement; especially in avoiding turnovers. The Lasallians gave up the ball 26 times against AdU which kept the Soaring Falcons in striking distance. Moreover, La Salle will have to maintain its pressure defense to further utilize its quickness during the fast break. Fluid ball movement will also be an asset in finding open shooters when penetrating UP’s defense.
The Fighting Maroons will need consistency on shooting if they wish to have a chance in handing the defending champions their first loss of the season. Desiderio will have to replicate his previous offensive performance and must be reliable as the team’s go-to guy while Outtara will need to do his best to contain Mbala inside the paint. The Gomez de Liano brothers, Javi and Juan, are also a tandem to look out for with their ability to penetrate the defense and deadly perimeter shooting.
