The DLSU Green Archers returned to the win column as they surpassed the Mapua University Cardinals, 68-61, earlier today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan. With the win, the team from Taft now sports a 2-1 win-loss record, while the the team from Intramuros currently holds a 0-3 standing.
Encho Serrano bested all players as he tallied 15 points with eight rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Andrei Caracut was the only other Green Archer who recorded double digits as he posted 11 points, four assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
In the losing effort, Laurenz Victoria scored 14 points with five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Justin Serrano chipped in 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Slow start
The first quarter saw a slow beginning from the DLSU Green Archers as the Mapua Cardinals showed their dominance on the court and managed an 11-4 lead. Christian Manaytay’s back-to-back points off of layups gave the momentum back to the team from Taft to cut the deficit to 15-12 at the end of the first quarter.
At the 7:15 mark of the second period, Serrano’s converted free throw sparked a 10-0 run for the Green-and-White to put themselves ahead, 24-17. The duo of Christian Bunag and Denniel Aguirre scored and kept the pace going as they were the bright spots for the Red-and-Gold, 29-22.
After the game, when asked about the amount of turnovers the team tallied in the first half, head coach Gian Nazario shared, “Our energy wasn’t there. ‘Yun lang, the energy.” The Green Archers tallied a total of nine turnovers, while the Cardinals recorded seven.
Action-packed end
The Green Archers and the Cardinals both looked to outrun one another with neither of the teams making room for unanswered shots. With seven minutes to go in the third quarter, Ralph Cu converted back-to-back three-pointers for the Green-and-White. Afterwards, back-to-back three-pointers from Victoria tied up the game at 36-all, in favor of the Red-and-Gold. Similar to the second quarter, the team from Taft opened the floor for offense, as the team scored off multiple shots coming from all corners. With 1:04 remaining in the clock, a Serrano dunk concluded the third period in favor of the Lasallians at 56-52.
The Green Archers didn’t hold back in the fourth quarter as Justine Baltazar sustained the momentum on their side as he converted a jumper, 58-55. The team from Taft looked to capitalize on the remaining minutes of the final period while they converted consecutive shots to widen their lead to 66-58. As Jordan Bartlett drew two fouls, one from Serrano and the other from Lugo, he was able to convert free throws that eventually gave the match to the Green Archers, 68-61.
After the game, when asked about his performance and what he could do more in the games, Serrano shared, “Maging consistent dapat ako at wag mag papetiks sa training. Sobrang saya ko na binigyan nila ako ng pagkakataon para makapaglaro.”
(I should be consistent and shouldn’t slack off during training. I’m really happy they gave me a chance to play.)
The Green-and-White will return to the same venue on Friday, May 17 at 4 pm as they try to continue their winning streak against the Centro Escolar University Scorpions.
The scores:
DLSU – Serrano 15, Caracut 11, Baltazar 9, Cu 6, Lojera 6, Lim 5, Bartlett 4, Melecio 4, Manaytat 4, Manuel 2, Escandor 2, David 0, Bates 0, Bonggay 0
MU – Victoria 14, Serrano 10, Bunag 8, Aguirre 7, Pido 6, Lugo 5, Bonifacio 4, Gamboa 4, Garcia 3, Hernandez 0, Jabel 0
Quarter scores: 12-15, 31-30, 56-52, 68-61
