The DLSU Green Archers dominated their archrivals ADMU Blue Eagles, 82-67, claiming their maiden win in their debut game in the Pinoyliga Next Man Cup earlier today, March 2, at the Enderun Colleges.
Hailed as Player of the Game, Jacob Cortez led the Green Archers to their victory, tallying 16 points, four assists, and two steals. Mason Amos and Matthew Rubico also made valiant contributions, chipping in 18 points and 12 points apiece in the opening match.
For the Blue Eagles, it was Romeo Ebdane who steered their efforts with 17 points, four assists, and three steals. Other notable players were Marcus Nicolas, Samuel Reyes, and Kyle Gamber, who each scored eight points in the match.
Slow and steady
The Green Archers opened their debut game for the tournament with a slow start, trailing behind the Blue Eagles in the early minutes of the first quarter. The Green-and-White were unable to convert their early possessions. The Blue Eagles capitalized on La Salle’s early drought, but Luis Pablo got an offensive rebound, driving inside for a quick layup from an Andrei Dungo assist, 3-2. Still finding their edge, M. Amos showed his leadership by scoring back-to-back points and leading the Green Archers in the first five minutes of the match. Despite Vhoris Marasigan’s fast break to tie the game, Ateneo answered with back-to-back baskets from fast breaks, putting La Salle down by four, 17-13.
The Green Archers struggled to find their rhythm and chemistry as a team as they were trailing behind the Blue Eagles by six, 26-20. With key players on the bench, Rubico’s fighting spirit and determination fueled the Green Archers’ comeback, scoring multiple points from fast-break layups to close the gap on the Blue Eagles. His energy, combined with Ethan Alian’s assist, tied the game at 26-all. The Blue Eagles have yet to find a solution to the Green Archers’ run as Bright Nwanko’s floater gave DLSU their first lead of the match with 50 seconds remaining in the quarter, 28-26. However, Gamber shot down the beginning of DLSU’s dominance by scoring a quick dagger three to take back the lead, 29-28. M. Amos responded with a clutch three-pointer, pushing DLSU ahead with a narrow lead, 31-29.
With the momentum on their hands, the DLSU Green Archers came out firing early on in the second quarter. Cortez opened the quarter with a scoring run of his own, 38-37. With Cortez in the zone, he was drawing fouls and nailing free throws to extend La Salle’s lead. Ateneo called for a timeout after the poster dunk from Nwanko gave the Green Archers their biggest lead of the match, 44-37. After the timeout, the Green Archers were scoreless, until Cletz Amos found a solution, nailing a two-point floater. Nwanko’s dunk highlighted the weaknesses in the Blue Eagles’ defense after he towered over their players. To mark the end of the first half, he ensured that the Green Archers headed into halftime break up by five, 48-43.
Pulling away
After a close contest in the first half, the Green Archers were determined to surge ahead in the latter part of the game, pushing their intensity on both offense and defense. To start, Amos powered through and registered a shot by the ring within the first 20 seconds of the second half, which was quickly followed up by Dungo’s sharp trey, to mark their first double-digit lead of the game, 53-43.
Both teams faced a scoring drought until Pablo broke the ice with a layup, 57-43. The shots kept coming for the Green-and-White as they eventually built up a 16-0 run. Michael Asoro crashed the party with a triple, listing the Blue Eagles’ first score in the third quarter for seven minutes, 64-46.
La Salle closed off the third quarter with a 21-point lead through their dazzling shooting performance and stifling defense, limiting ADMU to only three points for the whole quarter, 69-47. The Green Archers remained on their toes until the end of the game, continuing to restrict the Blue Eagles with multiple shot clock violations with their impenetrable defense. In the final stretch, Amos fueled things up for DLSU, sinking a dagger three within the first 20 seconds of the quarter once again, 72-47.
With the Green Archers having their maiden win in the palm of their hands, they further widened the gap to 27 points—their biggest lead for the match—after Cortez made his presence known in the fourth with a decisive three-point shot, 80-57. The last bit of action for La Salle was Alian’s smooth layup before the game ended in a series of penalty shots for the ADMU Blue Eagles.
Serving as defending champions in the Pinoyliga series, the DLSU Green Archers look to start a winning streak as they face the New Era University on March 9, Sunday, at 6 pm at the same venue.
The Scores:
DLSU 82 – M. Amos 18, Cortez 16, Rubico 12, Dungo 7, Pablo 6, Nwanko 6, Alian 6, C. Amos 5, Marasigan 4, Buenaventura 2, Sarmiento 0, Romero 0, Dagdag 0, Zamora 0
ADMU 67 – Ebdane 17, Nicolas 8, Reyes 8, Gamber 8, Tan-Chi 4, Edu 4, Luna 3, Asoro 3, Prado 3, De Luna 3, Tan 3, Tupas 2, Carlton 1, Sauler 0, Flores 0
Quarter Scores: 31-29, 48-43, 69-47, 82-67
