The DLSU Green Archers suffered their first and sole loss in Round Two of the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball Tournament after being outscored by the NU Bulldogs in a jittering 63-54 defeat, shattering their shiny nine-game winning streak, earlier today, November 13, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Lifting the spirits of the Green Archers was Mike Phillips, who unleashed 18 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. Raven Gonzales and Henry Agunanne helped out with nine points and nine rebounds, and eight points and 15 rebounds, respectively.
Propelling the NU Bulldogs to victory was PJ Palacielo, who scored 16 points and gathered 8 rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. With his consistency, Jake Figueroa also stood out for his team by registering 14 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Champions challenged
Despite being out of the Final Four for the first time in four years, the NU Bulldogs defied expectations. The Taft-based squad underestimated the feisty Bulldogs’ defensive prowess and struggled to get a hold of the ball. The Green-and-White were down by eight points over half into the first quarter, with their sole point for the duration only coming from Jcee Macalalag’s free throw, 9-1.
In an attempt to close the gap, back-to-back buckets came from one-and-done Lian Ramiro and Phillips after being subbed in to revive La Salle with four minutes left, 9-5. After gaining a bit of momentum and listing down more points, the Green Archers were only one point away with Phillips sinking a floater after working hand-in-hand with Andrei Dungo, 12-11. The Green Archers spent the last minutes of the first quarter chasing the Bulldogs’ tail. With 50 seconds left on the clock, the game reached its first deadlock after two successful free throws from Phillips, 15-all. With only 10 seconds left, a second deadlock came from the same action, ending the first quarter with a 17-all tie.
The two teams started on even footing in the second quarter, with the Bulldogs breaking the ice first after a solid shot from Ian Manansala, 19-17. Coming from an early foul call in the second, Agunanne shifted his gears and made one of his own to tie things back up, 19-all. The game remained tight between the two teams, but NU kept a hold of the lead for the majority of the second quarter. The game saw its first lead change in the remaining four minutes of the first half, with DLSU establishing a 7-0 blitz off of Joshua David’s sharp trey, a jumper from EJ Gollena, and a floater from Kevin Quiambao, 28-27.
However, the Green-and-White’s fragile margin was swiftly broken by Tebol Garcia in an intense battle near the rim, with the Bulldogs eventually pulling ahead once again, 29-28. NU continued their shooting frenzy, piercing through DLSU’s defense with consecutive layups loaded with power and speed from Palacielo and Garcia, 33-28. While the Bulldogs stacked up on points, the Green Archers were struggling to carry out successful plays and list markers. The last bit of action for La Salle in the final minute of the first half were two free throws from Gonzales and Dungo, who both missed their first attempts as DLSU trailed by four, 36-32.
Close but no cigar
The third quarter kicked off with a momentum-shifting three-pointer from NU’s Steve Nash Enriquez, pushing the Bulldogs ahead by nine and setting the tone for the half, 41-32. DLSU found themselves in an early scoring drought, struggling to find their rhythm as NU’s defense tightened around them. Finally, after two scoreless minutes, Ramiro sliced through the defense with a driving layup, cutting the lead to seven and igniting the Green Archers’ offense, 41-34. Both teams struggled to maintain any scoring consistency, with a mere five points combined by the midway mark of the quarter as DLSU worked to chip away at NU’s control.
Phillips provided a spark for DLSU as he attacked the paint with a powerful dunk, narrowing NU’s lead to six and boosting La Salle’s spirits, 42-36. Still, the shooting struggles persisted on both sides, with frequent misses from the field and free throw line stalling their momentum. NU managed to respond to Phillips’ intensity with a three-pointer from Reinhard Jumamoy, restoring their lead to eight as DLSU continued to miss crucial opportunities, 47-39. The third quarter wrapped up with NU in control, maintaining their 47-39 as both teams headed into the final stretch.
Entering the fourth quarter, both teams again struggled to find the basket, remaining scoreless for the first two minutes as intense defense ruled the court. NU’s Ian Manansala broke the silence with a smooth eurostep, lifting the Bulldogs’ lead to 49-39. Gonzales was quick to answer for La Salle, slashing to the rim for a layup off a perfectly timed assist from Jumamoy, bringing the score to 49-41. Though DLSU continued to struggle from the line, Phillips and Agunnane kept their hopes alive, dominating the offensive glass and scoring off putbacks. Agunnane’s back-to-back plays eventually brought DLSU within three points at 51-48, giving the Green Archers a fighting chance.
However, NU’s Figueroa rose to the occasion with a series of timely plays, starting with a layup that extended NU’s lead to 53-48. He then showcased his footwork with an up-and-under move to widen the gap to 57-50. DLSU’s Quiambao attempted to shake off his shooting slump with several three-point attempts, but none found their mark. With only a minute and a half left, NU’s Palacielo delivered a crucial three-pointer, boosting the Bulldogs to 59-51, then followed it with a smooth jumper to extend the lead further to 61-52. Figueroa sealed the game with a final dagger layup, cementing NU’s 63-54 victory and ending DLSU’s efforts to close the gap in a hard-fought final quarter.
Despite the loss, the Green Archers remain the top-seeded team with an impressive 12-2 record as they head into the Final Four.
The Scores:
DLSU – Phillips 18, Gonzales 9, Agunanne 8, Quiambao 6, Ramiro 4, David 3, Macalalag 2, Gollena 2, Dungo 1, Marasigan 1, Konov 0, Austria 0, Alian 0
NU – Palacielo 16, Figueroa 14, Garcia 8, Manansala 6, Enriquez 5, Padrones 5, Jumamoy 3, Yu 3, Cruz 2, Lim 1, Santiago 0, Tulabut 0, Francisco 0, Parks 0
Quarter Scores: 17-17, 32-38, 39-47, 54-63
