Earlier today at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan, the DLSU Green Archers edged the LPU Pirates, 82-80, in a grind-out affair. With the win, the Green-and-White booked a ticket to the FilOil Preseason Cup Finals, as opposed to leaving home early in last year’s quarterfinals.
Justine Baltazar was a key cog in La Salle’s victory as he was aggressive on both ends of the floor, tallying 22 points and 22 rebounds. Additionally, athletic guard Encho Serrano posted 20 points to bring their team to a finals berth.
In the losing effort, Enoch Valdez and Jeffrey Santos recorded 15 points apiece, followed by Jayson David, who scored 13 points.
After the game, head coach Gian Nazario shared insights on Baltazar’s performance, “We just had to trust Justine to make the right decisions whenever he had the ball in the post.”
Back-and-forth first half
Early in the first quarter of the match, the Pirates got things going, nailing two three-pointers in the opening minute. Baltazar responded by making two field goals in the paint. With both teams continuing to exchange baskets, the ball game remained in a deadlock, until Baltazar beat the buzzer to end the quarter in favor of the Green Archers, 29-27.
Baltazar also started the second quarter strong as he got his first two field goals early. The Pirates, however, stayed in the game by living off their three-pointers. In the latter half of the quarter, LPU’s David scored back-to-back field goals and a bonus free throw to give his team a taste of the lead. However, this was short-lived, as Aljun Melecio and Serrano combined for seven points in the final minute, tilting the game back in favor of the Green-and-White, 46-44.
At halftime, the team from Taft recorded a 54 percent field goal rate compared to LPU’s 40 percent.
Heart and hustle
The third period went off in the same fashion as the previous quarter; both teams continued to get their shots to fall. At the 6:25 mark, Jayvee Marcelino of the Pirates made his layup to put his team up by two, 53-51. From there, the Pirates held the lead. Green Archer Joel Cagulangan proved to be the team’s needed spark, as his hard drive put his team up by one, 58-57, at the 3:24 mark. Baltazar ended the quarter by scoring La Salle’s last two field goals off assists from Cagulangan and Joshua David.
In the final quarter, with the game still to be decided, both teams continued to get their groove on offense. Baltazar continued to prove why he is DLSU’s go-to as he continued to put moves on LPU’s front court. With 2:52 remaining in the game, Baltazar drew a foul and converted free throws, putting his team up by two, 80-78. The Pirates provided a late-game scare when Reymar Caduyac scored an easy bucket off a turnover at the 56.5 mark, bringing his team within one, 80-81. However, Serrano’s hustle was a factor down the stretch, as he kept his team in front by keeping the ball alive and getting extra possessions. With 4.5 seconds left on the clock, Serrano secured the defensive rebound and drew a foul. He went on to split his free throws, cementing La Salle’s two-point lead, 82-80.
When asked about whether or not he expected his team to reach the finals, Nazario responded by saying, “We were taking it a game at a time, it sounds cliché, but it is what it is. We did not expect to be [in] the finals.”
The DLSU Green Archers will go head-to-head on Sunday, June 23, at 4 pm at the same venue against the San Beda Red Lions.
The scores:
DLSU 82 – Baltazar 22, Serrano 20, Bartlett 12, Melecio 9, Caracut 7, Lojera 5, Cagulangan 2, Bates 2, David 2, Cu 1
LPU 80 – Valdez 15, Santos 15, David 13, Caduyac 10, Ibanez 9, Marcelino 8, Navarro 6, Baetiong 2, Yong 2
Quarter scores: 29-27, 46-44, 66-64, 82-80
