Despite a nail-biting second half, the DLSU Green Archers earned their second victory of Round Two of the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball Tournament, after showcasing their resilience against the UST Growling Tigers in an exhilarating overtime matchup, 94-87, earlier tonight, October 16, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
In the win, last season’s MVP Kevin Quiambao earned his career high and was honored as the Player of the Game after the La Salle star delivered 29 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Meanwhile, Mike Phillips manned the paint and put together a well-rounded performance, tallying 16 markers, 13 rebounds, and one assist.
In a valiant effort for UST, Nic Cabañero was in front for the Tigers, putting up 23 points and 12 rebounds. Forth Padrigao complemented this performance with 15 markers, three rebounds, and three steals of his own.
Raining threes
It was the Green Archers who started the game with imposing intention, shooting seven three-pointers in the first half alone. Joshua David immediately got things going for La Salle, getting past four defenders to score the first two points for the white shirts, 2-0. The opposing team forced numerous fouls, awarding free markers to DLSU. Quiambao also showed off his perimeter shooting that inspired La Salle’s rhythm in the opening quarter. La Salle built a 14-0 run from their hot shooting when UST earned their first markers. The Green Archers ended the first quarter with a comfortable with these impressive shooting performances, 27-14.
The Green Archers faced the Growling Tigers with the momentum they built earlier. Andrei Dungo aced another three, 30-14. Stepping on the court, Raven Gonzales also exhibited a stellar performance, flawlessly earning markers from a quick layup. However, the momentum shifted after Earl Abadam’s injury. The Green Archers started to go cold on their shooting and turn the ball over, giving the Growling Tigers more opportunities to score on the other end. However, Gonzales remained composed and continued to make baskets for the Green Archers, including a three-pointer to keep their lead. CJ Austria ended the first half with a drive to the basket, extending their lead to 18, 42-24.
Tale of two halves
Before going into the halftime break, the Growling Tigers found their momentum and carried it on to the second half. La Salle and UST started the third frame by trading baskets and raining three-pointers, 53-38. With the España squad going into a run, the Green Archers brought back M. Phillips into the game to improve their presence in the shaded area, effectively slowing the pace down. The Green-and-White attacked the thin front court of the Gold-and-Black as M. Phillips sank in a hook shot to widen the lead to 13 points, 56-43. DLSU could not capitalize on UST’s foul penalty early in the quarter and played 2-3 zone, making it hard to attack the paint but Cabañero found ways to score layups inside through his isolation plays, 61-48. With the zone employed by the Growling Tigers, the pace slowed down and forced the Green Archers to shoot long-range shots that eventually missed. An Austria layup stopped the run of UST and broke the dry spell for La Salle in the dying seconds of the quarter, 65-56.
The Green Archers started the fourth quarter strong by getting layups from Gonzales and Quiambao while Jcee Macalalag drained a three-pointer to break the formidable 2-3 zone. Despite DLSU being up by double digits in the later part of the period off a floater from M. Phillips, 76-66, UST did not give up as they ramped up their intensity. The Growling Tigers stuck to their zone defense to force the Taft-based squad to make mistakes and convert easy layups in the offensive end, erasing the massive lead of the Green Archers to begin the half. M. Phillips was called for an unsportsmanlike foul to Padrigao which awarded him two shots in the line but missed one leading to a deadlock as UST also failed to score a basket with their extra possession, 80-all.
Defense wins the game
The momentum going into the overtime period was with UST. La Salle’s ramped-up defensive tenacity only allowed the Tigers to score a point in the first three minutes of the period, 91-83. The Green Archers went to Quiambao in the corner to break the zone, successfully forcing the Growling Tigers to scramble in closing out to the shooters and converting free throws to balloon a ten-point lead, 93-83. The game ended with the backcourt pair of Padrigao and Cabañero getting easy layups, but they were unable to muster a comeback against the Green Archers, 93-87.
DLSU Head Coach Topex Robinson shared that they were not surprised with UST’s performance and they are seeing this game as a part of their growth, “Gone are the days that you would get away with an easy win.” Coach Robinson also acknowledged that they indeed made a lot of mistakes, accounting for the 26 turnovers, but they see it as part of the challenge. When asked about the overtime, Robinson described the extra five minutes as “a breathing time” to get their act together.
On his career high, Quiambao carried a growth mindset with him on and off the court. He mentioned that he and his team relaxed in the third quarter and that he was thankful for the overtime. “Value every possession” was the mantra of the MVP.
The Green Archers continue to sharpen their arrows as they hunt down the AdU Soaring Falcons on Saturday, October 19, at 3:30 pm at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Scores:
DLSU 94 – Quiambao 29, M. Phillips 16, Gonzales 11, Gollena 8, Agunanne 7, Austria 6, Dungo 6, Macalalag 6, David 3, Marasigan 2, Abadam 0, Konov 0, Ramiro 0, Rubico 0
UST 87 – Cabañero 23, Padrigao 15, Tounkara 14, Pangilinan 10, Paranada 8, Manaytay 7, Limit 3, Estacio 3, Robinson 2, Crisostomo 2, Acido 0, Daunting 0, Lane 0, Mahmood 0
Quarter Scores: 27-14, 42-29, 65-56, 80-all, 94-87
