The DLSU Green Archers yield their second UAAP Season 86 victory after completely conquering the UST Growling Tigers with an insurmountable 20 point-finish, 91-71, earlier today, October 7, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Leading the way, Joshua David––eventual player of the game––and Kevin Quiambao teamed up to lead the Green Archers with both posting 14 points each. Also contributing double digits is veteran Archer Joaqui Manuel with 11, landing three out of his four three-point attempts.
UST’s Nic Cabañero was the only bright spot from his struggling team. He would chip in 25 points, grab five rebounds, and make 8/10 of his free throws in the trying effort.
Pulling away early
With their collective team effort on both offense and defense, the Green Archers held on tightly to their lead for the entire first half, not giving the Growling Tigers a chance to control the game. Earl Abadam broke ground with an easy layup to get things going for the green jerseys. Adding to the fuel was Bright Nwankwo’s solid block on King Tiger Cabañero to hype up his side together with the crowd as DLSU held a 7-6 advantage.
Multiple offensive miscues on the side of the side from España occurred before Evan Nelle landed a skillful step-back three to take the lead to seven, 16-9. Francis Escandor also made his presence felt as he completed an and-one play, 19-11. The eight-point advantage of the Archers did not bother the coaching staff of UST as there was no call for a timeout despite the consecutive misses from their team. A Quiambao and-one floater and a free throw capped off the first quarter with the Taft-based roster holding a double-digit advantage, 22-11.
A fast-paced exchange opened the second frame with Jonathan Gasalem chipping in a corner three. Quiambao quickly answered with his basket from beyond the arc, 25-14. Cabañero powered in a contested layup for the yellow shirts but was quickly erased by CJ Austria with a layup as well, 27-16. A steal by Quiambao marked the beginning of a highlight play as his missed layup was swiftly followed through with a dunk by the towering Michael Phillips, 31-18. While DLSU was already in a comfortable lead, the Growling Tigers made a slow but steady 9-0 run with five coming from free throws. However, this was not enough as the lead of the Green and White already ballooned to eleven, 47-36.
The squad from Taft flaunted a total of seven three-pointers solely from the first two quarters of the match and converted steals to buckets, which greatly contributed to their extensive lead.
Momentum shift
After a sluggish end to the opening half—allowing a 9-0 run for UST—the Green Archers immediately rebuilt their lead. An Austria three and a M. Phillips midrange were the first baskets at the half for DLSU, 52-38.
However, Austria was ejected from the game after an apparent scuffle with Growling Tiger Paul Manalang. Despite losing a key player, DLSU increased their pace and would go on an 11-0 run, showcasing defensive tenacity and offensive prowess, 66-40.
In the final 3:07 minutes of the quarter, the Growling Tigers would show some life, but it proved to be lacking. Heading to the final outing, the Green and White led 73-50.
David takes over
Entering the final frame of the matchup, both teams traded tough layups and fouls drawn for free throws. However, La Salle’s David stepped up by beginning his offensive onslaught in the fourth quarter with a two-pointer, 79-54, forcing a UST timeout.
Coming out of the huddle, the DLSU guard continued to light it up from everywhere. David froze the opponent’s defense with a driving layup and followed it up with a shot from beyond the arc on the next possession, 86-56. The 30-point lead marked the Green Archers’ largest advantage this season. Despite UST ending the game on a 15-5 run, La Salle completed the blowout victory, 91-71.
All 15 Green Archers saw playing time, with 12 contributing to the scoreboard. DLSU also showcased better team performance with organized plays, out-assisting UST, 24-10. However, La Salle’s bench carried much of the offensive workload, taking the edge over the Growling Tigers bench with 55 points to 28 points.
Despite not getting much touches offensively in their opening two games, and even coming off from an injury, David thanked Coach Topex Robinson for giving him more minutes to execute what he can do for the team. However Coach Robinson redirected David’s gratitude to a fellow Green Archer. “It was Evan (Nelle). With five minutes left, he asked me ‘Coach, I think Josh will stay in the game. He’s playing well.’ I just want to honor that. That’s Evan Nelle for you,” said Robinson, lauding the selflessness of Nelle.
Eyeing back-to-back wins, the Green Archers are set to face the AdU Soaring Falcons for their fourth game of the season this Wednesday, October 11, at 5 pm in the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
DLSU 91 – David 14, Quiambao 14, Manuel 11, Nelle 9, Policarpio 9, Nwankwo 8, M. Phillips 5, Austria 5, Escandor 5, Abadam 5, B. Phillips 4, Cortez 2
UST 71 – Cabañero 25, Pangilinan 8, Manaytay 7, Laure 6, Duremdes 6, Manalang 5, Crisostomo 4, Calum 3, Gesalem 3, Ventulan 2, Llemit 2
Quarter Scores: 22-11, 47-36, 73-50, 91-71
