The DLSU Green Archers had a late meltdown to their archrivals ADMU Blue Eagles in their second game of UAAP Season 86, 77-72, earlier today, October 4, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. This brings their win-loss record in the season to an even 1-1.
Despite some early foul trouble, Kevin Quiambao led the Green and White with an all-around game of 17 points, 14 boards, seven assists, and two blocks in the loss. Evan Nelle and Earl Abadam each added 15 and 11 points, respectively, in the heartbreaking effort for La Salle.
Chris Koon went off in the win for the team from Katipunan with 19 points and seven boards. Kai Ballungay added a double-double with 18 markers and 16 rebounds, and Mason Amos came in clutch with 12 points—eight of which were in the fourth quarter.
Opening lapses, defensive clinic
A sluggish start for the DLSU Green Archers saw them down, 11-3, against the ADMU Blue Eagles to open the heated game. Ballungay and Joseph Obasa torched the Green and White with a couple of putbacks, so much so that Coach Topex Robinson called an early timeout with 7:57 still left in the first quarter to stop their scoring barrage. Abadam answered the call from Coach Robinson with back-to-back three-pointers, 14-9.
The defense of the Green Archers started to tighten up as the Blue Eagles started missing looks inside the paint. A string of defensive stops from La Salle, an unsportsmanlike foul from Gab Gomez, and two free throws from Mark Nonoy paved the way for the team from Taft to taste a lead, 21-20. The quarter ended with the team from Katipunan up, 25-23, with an Amos three.
Ateneo continued where they left off to open the second period with a three-pointer from Koon, 28-23. A couple of defensive stops from DLSU and a big three from Quiambao tied the game at 31-all. A long scoring drought from both teams saw an up-and-down pace from both teams until an Ateneo foul on Nelle allowed the floor general to break the deadlock with his deuce at the line, 33-31. La Salle ended the quarter with a couple of defensive stops to take a slim two-point lead going into the halftime break, 39-37.
Back-and-forth battle
After a tight first half, both teams brought even more effort entering the third quarter. ADMU would strike first with big man Obasa hitting a three-pointer and flushing in an open dunk for back-to-back possessions, 42-39. With the lead suddenly disappearing from La Salle, Abadam would add to his team-leading first-half points by drilling one from downtown to tie the game, 42-all.
Nonoy, who went down with an apparent ankle injury midway through the second quarter last game, would change the pace for the Green and White. The guard shined on the defensive end, hustling for the ball to gain possessions for DLSU. The explosive guard would draw an offensive foul, tally a steal, and lock his man down, giving La Salle chances to regain the lead. With Nonoy going 2/2 from the line with under three minutes remaining, the squad from Taft took the lead, 50-45.
In the process, Quiambao picked up his third and fourth personal foul, unable to help his team as he was benched. Nelle, showing no signs of slowing down after the last game, scored four straight points, contributing to the Green Archers’ biggest lead of the night, 54-45. However, ADMU’s Koon would hit another midrange shot, ending the third with a seven-point margin, 54-47.
Missed opportunity
As the final quarter began, the Blue Eagles immediately went to work with a 6-0 run in two minutes, forcing La Salle to the huddle for an early timeout, 54-53. Right after, Ballungay missed a shot from beyond the arc and got his own rebound for an open jam to give Ateneo the lead, 55-54—taking advantage of the sloppy La Salle defense. The forward tallied a whopping 16 rebounds, with 12 of those being offensive boards.
After a variety of lead changes, the rival teams exchanged threes, much to the excitement of the spectators. First, it was Quiambao who struck first from downtown, 64-all. This was followed by back-to-back triples from Amos, 64-70. Quiambao responded with another three of his own from the wing, 67-70. However, Ballungay would be left open in the paint for an easy dunk, giving the momentum back to the Katipunan-based team, 72-67, with 1:29 left on the clock.
La Salle Head Coach Topex Robinson called his second-to-last timeout, still hopeful that his team would find their way to victory with only a little time left. Jared Brown would spoil La Salle’s game plan though with a midrange jumper with 74-67. On the other end, Nonoy hit a three to cut the deficit to four. In the end, DLSU ran out of gas, ultimately losing to the defending champions, 77-72. The Green Archers were outscored 30-18 in the final quarter.
After a far from ideal ending to his debut in arguably the biggest rivalry of Philippine collegiate sports, Coach Robinson talked about his experience: “[It is] a good opportunity for us to learn…good thing it happened right now, we have to take the lessons from [the game]. Ateneo was the better team tonight. They did a good job…they never gave up.”
Quiambao, who scored a team-high 17 points for La Salle, also commented, “Medyo disappointed ako kasi hindi ko matulungan [yung] team nung third quarter.”
(I’m disappointed because I wasn’t able to help the team in the third quarter.)
The Green Archers forward emphasized that what’s lost was lost and the team will look to regain their momentum after the tough defeat to their rivals. With the competition having just begun, the DLSU Green Archers will aim to do just that when they face the UST Growling Tigers this Saturday, October 7, at 3 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Scores:
DLSU 72 – Quiambao 17, Nelle 15, Abadam 11, Nonoy 9, Austria 5, Cortez 4, Manuel 3, Nwankwo 3, B. Phillips 3, M. Phillips 2, David 0, Escandor 0, Gollena 0
ADMU 77 – Koon 19, Ballungay 18, Amos 12, Obasa 11, Brown 8, Espinosa 5, Lazaro 2, Quiteves 1, Chiu 1, Credo 0, Bongo 0, Nieto 0, Gomez 0
Quarter Scores: 25-23, 37-39, 47-54, 77-72
