Entering the second round of the UAAP Season 85 Men’s Basketball Tournament, the DLSU Green Archers looked to bounce back after a tough defeat to Adamson in their first round conclusion. However, the FEU Tamaraws took advantage of their short-handed opponents, 57-53, resulting in the Green Archers’ fifth loss of the season earlier today, November 2, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
In the absence of Schonny Winston, Evan Nelle, Michael Phillips, Raven Cortez, and Isaiah Blanco, the majority of the offensive workload and playmaking fell into the hands of Kevin Quiambao—who scored a game-high 12 points along with eight rebounds and four assists. Bright Nwankwo also racked up a near-double-double tally with eight points and 11 rebounds.
Bryan Sajonia stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, four rebounds, five assists, and three steals to lead the FEU Tamaraws to a victory against the Green Archers. Xyrus Torres and LJ Gonzales also scored double figures, managing 12 points and 10 points, respectively.
Rocky start
The game opened with a blistering pace which saw both teams struggling to execute their respective offenses—leaving the scoreboard at a 0-0 stalemate for the first three minutes of the game. However, FEU managed to quickly start their offense through their suffocating defensive plays with 4:30 left in the first quarter. They managed to spark a 10-2 run by forcing La Salle into seven turnovers within the first five minutes of the game. Although the Green Archers starters struggled offensively, DLSU head coach Derrick Pumaren’s bench brought a ton of grit and intensity, allowing them to cut into FEU’s three-point lead at the end of the first period, 16-13.
Heading into the second quarter, Quiambao had to take a breather after shouldering much of the Green and White’s offensive load in his nine straight first-period minutes, as he exacerbated La Salle’s offensive woes. On the other hand, the Tamaraws got off to a blazing hot start—sparking a quick 6-0 run to extend their lead, 22-13, at the 7:13 mark. Quiambao’s impressive playmaking upon his return to the court saw the offense pick up once more as he continuously misdirected the defense and created open looks for his teammates. Despite the Gilas standout’s creative spark, the Green Archers’ offense struggled to hit perimeter shots, glaring at how much the team from Taft missed Winston and Nelle on the court. The team relied more on their inside scoring through big men Nwankwo and Aaron Buensalida to cut the FEU lead, 33-27, at the half.
Offensive woes
Coming out of the halftime break, DLSU was able to take control early due to great team defense and quick buckets from CJ Austria, trimming the Tamaraws’ lead, 35-31. Mark Nonoy, who had been quiet for the most part of the season, also made his mark by playing pesky defense on FEU star Gonzales and spurring the La Salle offense with his shot creation. The Green and White’s scoring outburst would come to a halt after the scoreboard hit 40-all, with both the Tamaraws and Green Archers unable to create any separation at the end of the third quarter. FEU was ahead, 44-43, with the Taft-based squad’s free throw attempts being the prime factor for the tight scoreline.
Stagnancy became the name of the game for DLSU, with an early fourth quarter putback from Ben Phillips being the sole field goal before a long end-game drought for the team. Both squads struggled to gain a lead, with a low-scoring stalemate at 50-all refusing to break with a little over five minutes of action left in the ball game. Even as the Green and White starters made their return to the court, hardly any offensive production emerged from the squad. The Tamaraws also lost their offensive flow, but foul trouble on the Taft end allowed FEU to gain the lead at the line, 56-50. Austria was able to hit a big three-pointer to trim the deficit to three, but he also turned the ball over with a chance to tie in the dying seconds of the matchup as DLSU fell to the team from Morayta, tallying their fifth loss of the season.
The DLSU Green Archers will look to save their UAAP Season 85 Final Four hopes against their rival ADMU Blue Eagles at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at 6:30 pm on Saturday, November 5.
The Scores:
FEU 57 – Torres 12, Gonzales 10, Sajonia 9, Anonuevo 6, Sleat 6, Bautista 6, Tchuente 5, Bagunu 2, Sandagon 1
DLSU 53 – Quiambao 12, Austria 8, Estacio 8, Nwankwo 8, Buensalida 5, Nonoy 4, Abadam 3, B. Phillips 2, Macalalag 2, Manuel 1
Quarter Scores: 16-13, 33-27, 44-43, 57-53
One reply on “UAAP: Short-handed Green Archers suffer offensive woes against Tamaraws, endure fifth loss of the season”
Good day! I don’t believe that any collective jinxes can go strong against one authentically good entity quite effectively. It may require a lot of poise, dexterity, and discipline, so to prove one’s inner strength. But, sometimes, it’s simply the wrong chemistry of techniques, people, and mindsets, that counts. Perhaps, the chef, chemist, or our coach, is the one to blame; or, maybe, a little more of silent patience and accuracy will fitly complete the recipe. However, if everyone else surrounding us is so good, the best results will only rely on the wholesomeness of our sincere intentions, so for lady luck to save us everyday. God bless!