The DLSU Green Archers blitzed past the St. Dominic Pikemen, 86-66, to maintain their unblemished Pinoyliga Next Man Cup record earlier today, April 5, at the Enderun Colleges.
Andrei Dungo claimed the Player of the Game title after an impressive display of 14 points and three assists. Supporting him were Kean Baclaan and Mason Amos who also put in notable performances, tallying 17 and 15 points, respectively.
On the other side of the hardwood, Edward Daquiaog shined brightest despite the losing effort, garnering 18 points. Ken Alvaran and Joseph Timtiman also chipped in with 13 and 12 points for the Pikemen, respectively.
Pulling away
Aiming to start strong, Baclaan kicked things off for La Salle by opening the scoring with two free throws, 2-0. The Green Archers continued to deploy a high-pressing game plan, which proved effective as multiple turnovers were forced, creating multiple openings for the Lasallians. But the Pikemen also managed to create their own early openings, and the score was tied after a layup from Wilson Tilos, 4-all. Regardless, Baclaan and Vhoris Marasigan were unfazed, draining long-range shots. However, successive points from Alvaran and Alvin Isaac snatched the lead in favor of the Pikemen, 11-10.
Nevertheless, DLSU remained composed and used their experience to nullify the early energy of their opponents. Jacob Cortez started to impress in the first half, restoring the lead for La Salle after a layup from a smart Amos dime, 17-16. The Pikemen continued to struggle against La Salle’s increasing press, which forced shot clock violations on multiple instances. With 47 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Baclaan was fouled while attempting a three-pointer, giving him three free throws. Baclaan calmly converted all three to close the first quarter, 20-16.
Now aiming to pull away in the second quarter, DLSU stepped up multiple gears and overwhelmed the Pikemen. Dominic Sarmiento got things started for La Salle by combining early with Baclaan to bag a layup. Alvaran responded with a three-pointer for the Pikemen, but his joy was short-lived as Dungo then countered with his own three-pointer from the wing, 25-21. Luis Pablo then delivered an and-one, converting his bonus free throw before making two more after being fouled in the fastbreak, 29-21. Dungo and Amos joined in on the high-scoring action with a layup and three-pointer, respectively, 34-24.
With four minutes remaining in the first half, the Green Archers continued to pull apart the Pikemen’s three-two defensive structure, opening up Dungo to convert yet another three-pointer, 37-24. The Taft-based squad might have proven to be too much for the Pikemen, with Cortez and Amos contributing vital late quarter points, 46-29. The Green-and-White then went full throttle through clinical fastbreaks and efficient shooting. To close the half, Pablo tallied a free throw before Cortez smartly converted a jumpshot to give La Salle a 16-point advantage entering the halftime, 51-35.
Steadying the ship
The Green Archers opened the second half continuing their trademark hustle to outperform the Pikemen. Bright Nwanko’s putback basket opened the scoring for the Taft-based side, 53-35. DLSU continued to display their superior defense from the first half with Marasigan intercepting a pass, leading to Nwanko getting fouled on a layup attempt. Despite the Green Archers’ defensive display, they would momentarily struggle on the offensive end. St. Dominic took the chance with a three-pointer from the wing by Alvaran. The Green Archers still displayed good ball movement that led to consecutive three-pointers from Alex Konov and Cortez, with the latter coming from a kick-off to the corner to widen the lead to 62-40. La Salle shifted to a two-three zone defense, forcing St. Dominic to attempt tough looks from the perimeter. Marasigan displayed better aggressiveness by attacking the paint to force consecutive shooting fouls of the drive, then making all of his free throws to inflate the lead to 24, 64-40. The Green Archers’ aggression later translated to the defensive end, with Nwanko deflecting an easy basket and forcing the Pikemen to turn the ball over. The Green Archers entered the bonus in the final minutes of the third quarter with Baclaan getting fouled from the inbound and making both free throws, 66-45. The Pikemen answered back with a buzzer-beating putback by Daquiaog to close the third quarter with a 19-point deficit, 68-49.
DLSU opened the fourth quarter slow with multiple errors. Daquiaog would add to their woes with a three-pointer from the wing to cut the lead to sixteen, 68-52. The Green Archers subbed in Cortez and Dungo for Ethan Alian and Denzel Dagdag in hopes of changing their fortunes. Baclaan would respond with a three-pointer of his own and follow it up by breaking through St. Dominic’s defense for a contested layup for a 5-0 run. The Pikemen were not discouraged by their massive deficit as they fought for multiple offensive boards which was rewarded with a three from Adrian Te, 73-55.
Baclaan was unfazed by the St. Dominic Pikemen’s efforts, doubling down on his offensive display in the fourth quarter to force the Pikemen to double team. The Green Archers continued to press, but would lead to an open layup from Alvaran, 77-60. Amos would add a highlight of his own with a dunk from a hand off pass from Dungo, forcing a Pikemen timeout. The Green Archers continued to stay aggressive on the defensive end, as Dungo forced a turnover that led to a fastbreak layup. The Taft-based squad closed the game with a three-pointer by Konov, overwhelming the Pikemen and keeping their perfect record, 86-66.
Following this impressive victory, the DLSU Green Archers await the announcement of their succeeding matchup in the Pinoyliga as they continue their unbeaten run.
The Scores:
DLSU 86 – Baclaan 17, Amos 15, Dungo 14, Cortez 11, Pablo 9, Marasigan 7, Konov 6, Nwankwo 5, Sarmiento 2, Alian 0, Dagdag 0, Rubico 0, Zamora 0
St. Dominic Pikemen 66 – Daquiaog 18, Alvaran 13, Timtiman 12, Amante 9, Dajao 5, Tilos 4, Isaac 3, De Manuel 2, Michael 0
Quarter Scores: 20-16, 51-35, 68-49, 86-66
