The DLSU Green Archers succumbed to the EAC Generals, 86-83, ending their undefeated season in the semifinals of the Pinoyliga Next Man Cup earlier today, April 24, at the Enderun Colleges.
Kean Baclaan and Vhoris Marasigan both logged 17 points for the Lasallian effort, while Luis Pablo contributed 15 points of his own.
Meanwhile, the Player of the Game from the Generals was Jearolan Omandac after tallying 14 points and eight rebounds, along with an efficient 50-percent three-point efficiency. EJ Castillo also led EAC in scoring with a 16-point contribution.
Baskets of attrition
The DLSU Green Archers went back-and-forth with the EAC Generals as both teams were locked into the first quarter. DLSU started aggressively with a full-court press, allowing a steal right off the bat by Baclaan to open up Pablo for a fastbreak point. Pablo continued on to make his presence felt in the paint as he sank consecutive hooks and layups, against a gritty EAC defense, getting an early nine-point tally midway through the first.
Kyle Buen, on the other hand, ended the scoring drought for the Generals with a jumper. Mason Amos and Bright Nwankwo stepped in to anchor La Salle’s defense in hopes of stopping EAC’s offensive surge. However, the Generals earned trips to the free throw line and made their charity shots, though Baclaan responded with a tough and-one conversion, 15-6. Despite Baclaan’s grit, momentum shifted to EAC as Omandac came in with back-to-back timely three-pointers late in the quarter, topped off with a layup and a quick three-pointer by Castillo to take the lead. Nonetheless, Pablo remained unfazed and responded with a layup of his own to tie the game at the end of the first quarter, 21-all.
As the second quarter began, both teams came out of the gates strong. Ethan Alian nailed the first points of the quarter, bringing much-needed energy off the bench for the Green Archers. Andrei Dungo and Pablo became instrumental on the defensive end with consecutive blocks against the Generals, allowing Jacob Cortez to set the dominant tone early for DLSU through a go-ahead three-pointer from long range. Baclaan also continued where he left off with a nifty floater past EAC’s defenders in the key, inflating the Lasallian lead to eight, 31-23.
EAC countered the Green-and-White’s roll with a free throw barrage, forcing La Salle into foul trouble, where the gap was brought down to three, 33-30. DLSU continued to make costly turnovers and missed crucial shots, allowing for the momentum to shift towards the EAC Generals. Marasigan and Pablo attempted to catch up and eventually retook the lead with trips to the free throw line, 42-41. Castillo, however, remained unstoppable as he took another crafty layup against the DLSU defense. Marasigan then ended the second quarter off with a free throw and a quick two-point basket off his free throw miss, cutting the EAC lead down to just one before the halftime break, 45-44.
Flat endgame fallout
After a tight exchange in the first half, the Green Archers looked to build longer momentum behind Pablo’s 13 points. Holding a slim one-point lead, DLSU struggled to execute their usual tight endgame defense, allowing EAC to inch ahead, 45-44. A cold offensive stretch from the Green-and-White allowed the Generals to spark a quick 4-0 run, 49-44. Marasigan tried to rally the bleeding Taft-based squad, displaying efficiency at the free throw line and showing aggressiveness to stay close with EAC, 54-48. However, outside attempts beyond the arc and midcourt plays were miscued by the Green Archers, forcing Baclaan to take charge with back-to-back baskets, 58-52.
Both defensive and offensive ends were falling flat for La Salle and the Generals capitalized on those mishaps, skating ahead with a 14-point cushion, 66-52. Despite the inflated lead, Baclaan refused to back down, chipping in eight points in five minutes to narrow the gap to 66-56. However, EAC answered with sharp ball execution as Castillo and Omandac led the offensive push to stretch the lead to 15, 73-58. The Generals turned up their aggressiveness in the defensive department, disrupting DLSU’s rhythm to capitalize on possession. Despite Cortez’s efforts in scoring through baskets and drawing fouls, Omandac continued his efficient offense, closing the quarter with EAC commanding the game, 76-60.
After the unproductive third quarter, the Green Archers opened the last chapter with a 16-point disadvantage. Baclaan stepped up for the offense, backed up by Amos, Marasigan, and Dungo. But the EAC guards were locked in, punching through DLSU’s defense as Castillo stepped up as well, 84-72. As the test on the Green-and-White’s pacing continued, they struggled to capitalize on turnovers and offensive fouls, failing to convert on given possessions.
Approaching the last two minutes, La Salle trailed behind by 12 points. So, Pablo and Baclaan tried to mount a usual Green Archers comeback, setting up open plays to score baskets, 84-76. Hopping on the redemption run, Marasigan approached the free throw line to make up for earlier misses, diminishing the lead to just six, 84-78. Baclaan then tightened on defense, forcing Joshua Tolentino to lose possession, opening himself up on the offensive end to trim down the lead to four, 84-80. A late-game momentum with a costly offensive foul by EAC set up Marasigan for a clutch three to make it a one-point affair, 84-83. With the final possession in DLSU’s hands, a play laid down found Amos open from the deep but missed the potential comeback, allowing the Generals to emerge victorious, 86-83.
Despite dominating the tournament with a flawless record, the stained DLSU Green Archers now fall short of a Finals berth in the Pinoyliga Next Man Cup.
The Scores:
DLSU – Baclaan 17, Marasigan 17, Pablo 15, Cortez 7, Alian 7, Nwankwo 6, M. Amos 5, C. Amos 5, Dungo 4, Romero 0
EAC – Castillo 16, Omandac 14, M. Raymundo 13, Tolentino 8, Buen 8, Dominguez 6, H. Raymundo 5, Shanoda 5, Doria 4, Cosa 3, Yanes 2, VIllarente 2, Devara 0, Villaflor 0, Postanes 0
Quarter Scores: 21-21, 44-45, 60-76, 83-86
