The DLSU Green Archers showed their dominance from start to finish, demolishing the FEU Tamaraws, 90-66, to remain undefeated in the 18th FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup and secure a spot in the quarterfinals earlier today, July 4, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
Kean Baclaan was hailed as the Player of the Game, leading the charge for the Green Archers with 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the blowout win against the Tamaraws. Mike Phillips anchored the paint with 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists, while Luis Pablo chipped in nine points and four rebounds to cap off their dominant display.
Despite a lopsided effort, Mo Konateh stood tall for FEU with a double-double game, tallying 15 points and 17 rebounds. Jan Rey Pasaol added nine points and five assists for the Tamaraws in an ugly defeat.
Aggressive and effective
The Taft-Morayta showdown opened at full throttle, with the Green Archers connecting from deep early on to gain momentum. Andrei Dungo looked to gift the Green Archers a comfortable cushion with a long two, but Jorick Bautista quickly reclaimed the lead with a swift response. With momentum briefly siding with FEU, Pablo scored underneath, followed by a clear take-off from Bright Nwankwo to seal a dunk as La Salle led by two, 7-5. As DLSU turned up the intensity on both the defense and offense, Pablo poured in four quick points, helping DLSU build an early advantage, 10-6.
At the halfway mark of the first quarter, Phillips, Baclaan, and Mason Amos provided sparks off the bench, maintaining aggressiveness in ball possession. Despite Liam Salansang’s three-pointer to keep FEU close, the Taft-based squad’s offense was organized, staying effective underneath and beyond the arc line as the Morayta challenger struggled to find their groove, 13-9. Luke Felipe and Pasaol challenged the Green Archers’ dominance by igniting a 4-0 run, 15-13.
In the opening moments of the second quarter, Baclaan continued to stand tall from shooting, extending the green shirts’ lead by eight, 25-17. FEU, bothered by the efficiency in rotation of the Green-and-White, struggled to get organized as errors flowed in, opening up opportunities for Earl Abadam and Nwankwo’s offensive attempts to push the lead to double digits at 30-17. Pasaol kept the fight up, with Konateh backing him with his boards, 30-21. The Green Archers successfully drew fouls from the collapsing Gold-and-Green squad as Pablo and Phillips took control, 38-23.
In the last two minutes of the first half, Konateh and Bautista remained unshaken by the ballooning lead of the Green Archers. Yet, it was Jacob Cortez, with the support of Dominic Sarmiento and Jcee Macalalag, dictating the pace and closing the first half in full dominance and aggression with a 16-point advantage, 45-29.
Dire domination
With a commanding lead going into the second half, Coach Topex Robinson tested out a different set of players to start the third quarter. Ethan Alian steadied the ship for the Green Archers, scoring the first basket to kick off the second half and calm the team down, 47-31. La Salle’s bench also kept the defensive intensity high, forcing FEU to make difficult outside shots. Rhyle Melencio and Alian carried the scoring load for the Green-and-White with a couple of three-pointers and a pull-up jumper to widen the gap, 57-39.
Now up by 18 points, Coach Robinson fielded the entire bench as Denzel Dagdag buried a three-pointer after Konateh left him wide open, 61-42. Mikey Cortez, despite struggling to score, forced two offensive charges from FEU, while Alian converted a layup on the offensive side, 66-44. Trying to fight back, Morayta mainstay Miguel Ona exacted a putback to cut the lead to 20 points, 66-46, before the third quarter buzzer sounded.
The Green Archers reinserted their core rotation to start the final quarter, looking to close out strong. Baclaan quickly scored back-to-back layups over the defense of FEU inside the paint, 73-46. Shortly after, La Salle was forced into a timeout after a brief scoring drought. Sarmiento resumed DLSU’s momentum after knocking a couple of three-pointers, 83-50. Though facing an intimidating deficit, FEU did not let it grow much wider with Paolo Galvez and Jayden Jones scoring five quick points soon after, 85-59. But it proved to be too daunting a task as CJ Amos quickly controlled the match with an outside shot, 88-59. At the home stretch, the Green Archers did not look back, cruising to a 90-66 victory.
After the win, Coach Robinson reflected on the contributions of the third-stringers, crediting them for sustaining the team’s momentum. “It’s a joy to see these guys enjoying each other’s company. More than just scoring, I see how the guys on the bench are encouraging each other, [and] it shows that these guys are having fun playing for each other,” he shared.
Phillips echoed his coach’s sentiments, highlighting how a grounded mentality will be crucial moving forward. “The mindset of taking it one thing at a time is important, [as] winning often hides a lot of mistakes. More than the Xs and Os, it’s important to work on your mentality and character,” he remarked.
The Scores:
DLSU 90 – Baclaan 14, Phillips 10, Pablo 9, Sarmiento 9, Melencio 8, Alian 8, J. Cortez 7, C. Amos 7, Nwankwo 5, M. Amos 4, Dagdag 3, Abadam 2, Dungo 2, Macalalag 2, M. Cortez 0, Zamora 0
FEU 66 – Konateh 15, Pasaol 9, Ona 7, Bagunu 6, Salansang 6, Jones 5, Mongcopa 5, Bautista 4, Felipe 4, Montemayor 3, Galvez 2, Beato 0, Macapagal 0,
Quarter Scores: 17-13, 45-29, 66-47, 90-66
