The DLSU Green Archers bounced back against their Round One tormentors, the UE Red Warriors, in a tightly contested match, 77-68, in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball Tournament earlier tonight, October 12, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Mike Phillips took home the Player of the Game with a monster stat line of 27 points, 17 boards, five dimes, and three steals off of his relentless energy from the start until the finish of the game. Kevin Quiambao, playing under the weather, still tailed 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists in the hard-fought win for the Green Archers, while Jcee Macalalag added 10 points and three boards in the win for La Salle.
Precious Momowei carried and became top-scorer for UE with 21 points, nine rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Meanwhile, John Abate steadied the ship for the Red Warriors, scoring 11 points and dishing out four dimes.
Back-and-forth affair
After winning the hotly contested Finals rematch against the UP Fighting Maroons, the DLSU Green Archers looked to avenge their lone loss this season. To open the game, both teams struggled to score a basket as their defense held the game in a stalemate. M. Phillips kept the Green Archers at bay with his energy and hustle on both ends, topped off by an early three-pointer from the top-of-the-key to take the lead back, 4-2. Despite getting stops on the defensive side, the team from Taft can not break away as the team from Recto shoots timely shots with Ethan Galang sinking a three, 7-6. After the timeout was called by Coach Topex Robinson, the Green Archers went on a run by converting their three-pointers, but were immediately answered back by the Red Warriors, 14-12. Despite closing the quarter strong, Gerald Wilson closed out the quarter with two free throws to tie the game up at 14-all.
To start the second quarter, UE played a 2-3 zone defense which La Salle found hard to break down as they struggled to score baskets. M. Phillips found a way to score through the zone eventually as he got the ball in the post and scored a hook shot, 16-14. However, the Green-and-White still continued to struggle on the offensive side but remained in striking distance brought by their defensive efforts, 21-18. M. Phillips’s undying effort boosted DLSU’s rhythm, grabbing offensive rebounds off missed shots at the free throw line to keep La Salle at bay, 29-28. After a Red Warriors’ timeout, the momentum shifted as it became a grind-it-out basketball that favored the Recto-based squad. But with UE in the penalty, DLSU capitalized it as both Vhoris Marasigan and M. Phillips went perfect from the line to take the lead back, 33-31. The team from Recto showed their maturity and their never-say-die attitude and closed out the quarter on a 6-0 run with a Gerald Wilson jumper to put the Red Warriors ahead by three, 37-34. However, DLSU got the last say in the quarter after a timeout play drawn up by Coach Robinson that opened up Macalalag to sink a floater in the baseline over the defense of Momowei to beat the buzzer in cutting UE’s lead to one, 37-36.
Revenge exacted
The third quarter commenced with heightened intensity as the Green Archers and the Red Warriors engaged in a tightly-contested battle for the previous quarters. Both teams exhibited exemplary defensive strategies, with the Green-and-White deploying a full-court press in an effort to stifle the Red Warriors’ offensive momentum. Macalalag opened the scoring for the second half by sinking a three-pointer, propelling the Archers to a two-point lead, 39-37. The Red Warriors quickly regained their footing, with Jack Cruz-Bumont draining a shot beyond the arc to retake the lead for the Red Warriors, 42-40. Both teams displayed an unprecedented level of defensive intensity, attempting to stop each other’s scoring efforts. However, their defensive schemes struggled against impressive shooting displays as Abate found success for the Red Warriors with a two-pointer, but was countered by Macalalag with another three for the Green Archers. Looking to ignite a spark, M. Phillips delivered a thunderous slam that launched La Salle ahead. Fueled by this momentum, the Green Archers began to showcase exceptional ball movement, culminating in a barrage of three-pointers to conclude the quarter with a commanding nine-point advantage, 63-54.
In a gripping fourth quarter, the Red Warriors ignited their offense with Momowei netting two quick points, narrowing the lead to seven, 63-56. This energized the Red Warriors to intensify their interior defense to counter the Green Archers’ scoring barrage. Momowei, fiercely contested by M. Phillips, showcased his strength by powering through for a basket, resulting in a foul that sent him to the free-throw line, 63-57. The Green Archers responded with a persistent offensive display from the previous quarter as Earl Abadam missed a three-pointer and drew a foul, converting one out of three free throws to extend the lead to seven, 64-57. With 8:54 left on the clock, the Green Archers adjusted their defensive strategy, opting for a small-ball lineup that matched the quicker Marasigan against scorer Momowei while implementing full-court pressure from Quiambao on the Red Warriors’ point guard. Both teams heightened their defensive efforts, resulting in a scoring stalemate until Quiambao’s floater broke the deadlock that pushed the Green Archers’ lead to 11, with 6:53 remaining, 68-57. Desperate for control, M. Phillips returned to the court to block Abate’s layup. Yet, the Green Archers’ transition offense was stopped with a strategic pick from Rainer Maga, allowing Abate to score a quick two, 68-59. The UE Red Warriors fought back with Momowei and Abate in charge, who traded free throws and layups to tighten the lead to five, 68-63. As the Green-and-White poured their remaining energy into defense, they held off the Red Warriors’ advances and ultimately secured the victory, avenging their earlier defeat, 77-68.
DLSU Head Coach Robinson shared his thoughts on the grind-out win against UE, “The players really fought well. They know the experience of losing to UE last few months ago, so we just rekindled that, and we reminded them: you know this will take a lot of effort to really beat this well-coached team.”
The tireless Motor Mike talked about how he admires the UE crowd and how they support and rally around their team, “Mahirap talaga ‘yun kalaban, so we knew UE will come out strong and play [with] these hard-working players and hard-working coaches.”
(It is hard to match against them, so we knew UE would come out strong and play with these hard-working players and hard-working coaches.)
After redeeming their first-round loss against the UE Red Warriors, the DLSU Green Archers are looking to extend their impressive winning streak to five games as they clash with the formidable UST Growling Tigers on Wednesday, October 16, at 6 pm at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
DLSU 77 – M. Phillips 27, Quiambao 10, Macalalag 10, Marasigan 9, David 8, Abadam 6, Ramiro 3, Gollena 2, Austria 2, Agunanne 0, Dungo 0
UE 68 – Momowei 21, Abate 11, Maga 9, Wilson 8, J. Cruz-Dumont 7, Galang 6, Lingolingo 2, Malaga III 2, Mulingtapang 0, H. Cruz-Dumont 0
Quarter Scores: 14-14, 36-37, 63-54, 77-68
