The DLSU Green Archers overpowered the UE Red Warriors, 100-91, to keep their perfect record in their penultimate FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup elimination round game earlier tonight, July 6, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
Mason Amos was hailed Player of the Game for a solid showing with 13 points, three rebounds, and five assists. Meanwhile, frontcourt partner Luis Pablo also stepped up as he led the Green-and-White’s offense with 14 points.
As for the Red Warriors, Precious Momowei filled up the statsheet with a double-double performance of 23 points and 13 rebounds. Backing him were Wello Lingolingo and Jaden Datumalim, chipping in 19 points and 12 points, respectively.
Trading leads
Both teams came out of the gate hot. Jax Distrito opened the game with a three-pointer for UE, but the shot was quickly countered by Earl Abadam’s early three and dime to M. Amos to grab the lead early in the quarter, 5-3. Lingolingo then retook the lead for UE with back-to-back threes, but the red shirts were unable to build momentum as Pablo got on the board with a contested hook. Both teams went back and forth with no clear momentum or scoring runs. Jcee Macalalag kept the Green Archers close with a fastbreak bucket, but UE protected their lead with their offensive rhythm carried on by Momowei and Hunter Cruz-Dumont midway through the first.
Pablo continued to make his presence felt with another physical drive in the lane for two before forcing a turnover with hopes of setting the tone for the Green-and-White. Despite DLSU’s offensive prowess, they continued to allow baskets on the defensive end with Cruz-Dumont nabbing an and-one, followed by a Momowei three-pointer. Rhyle Melencio struck back, adding a triple of his own, but then Lingolingo stayed strong with a nifty and-one finish over the La Salle defense. Andrei Dungo cuts the lead to five as the first quarter ended in favor of UE, 23-18.
The Green Archers came back and opened with a scoring run led by the heavy hitters: Mikey Cortez going off for a three-pointer to kick off the second quarter, and Pablo going back to work in the paint, forcing his way in for two. DLSU also utilized a half-court trap, pressuring UE and causing further turnovers, while M. Cortez continued his offensive getaways with another easy lay. Kean Baclaan then got his first tallies with an acrobatic putback all over the Red Warriors defense. Jacob Cortez also chimed in with his arrival to the box score with a steal and a transition lay—and the Green Archers finally reclaimed the lead, 30-27. M. Cortez stayed hot with another three-pointer, immediately followed by a steal courtesy of Pablo’s suffocating defense, marking UE’s 14th turnover midway through the second.
Momowei ended the Red Warriors’ scoring drought by battering the DLSU defense with an and-one play. An easy layup through the baseline by Abate led to UE snatching the lead from La Salle. Dominic Sarmiento was quick to score off the bench, with a seal and a baby hook in for two, as both teams entered the final two minutes of the quarter tied, 37-all. However, Mike Philips, the team’s defensive anchor and the man on the boards, got into foul trouble—picking up his third foul already in just the first half alone—allowing UE trips to the charity stripe. Lingolingo then kept his momentum rolling with another and-one play. Philips then finally got onto the scoring table with a ferocious one-handed slam to end the second quarter for DLSU with a four-point deficit, 43-39.
Tale of two halves
Determined to turn things around, the Green Archers came in hot from beyond the arc with back-to-back treys from J. Cortez and Macalalag, reclaiming the lead once again, 45-43. The Pablo-Amos frontcourt duo displayed their range as they followed up with their own back-to-back three-pointers to cap off a 14-1 run. Cruz-Dumont would answer with one of his own, but the Green-and-White continued their onslaught from the deep to extend their advantage to double-digits, 59-47. The Taft-based squad remained in control as J. Cortez and Dungo attacked the paint, forcing UE to regroup.
Coming off the break, the Lasallians lit another barrage of threes, courtesy of J. Cortez, CJ Amos, and M. Amos, as the lead ballooned to 20, 70-50. Despite the massive score gap, Datumalim, off the bench, remained undeterred as he attempted to spark a UE run with consecutive threes to cut the lead down to 16, 79-63. Tensions ran high as Baclaan and Momowei were called for unsportsmanlike fouls after an altercation in a defensive play. Shortly after, Denzel Dagdag would end the quarter with another three-pointer to give the rejuvenated white shirts the upper hand, 82-63, heading into the last quarter.
Entering the final period, the Green Archers struggled to get going on offense, allowing the Recto-based side to go on a 9-0 run to slash the lead to 12, 84-72. Determined to regain control, Pablo would answer by attacking the basket in consecutive possessions, sparking another run for the Green Archers as M. Cortez worked his way inside and drew a hard foul. At the quarter’s halfway point, M. Amos would make his presence felt by providing a drop step basket and another three-pointer, 94-77. In the remaining minutes, Datumalim would once again ignite the Red Warriors’ offense with his three-pointer. Lingolingo and Momowei backed him up, taking advantage of erratic plays from the Green Archers to cut the lead to 10. Despite this, Abadam’s three-pointer at 1:15 would be the dagger to UE’s attempted comeback; the Green-and-White came away with a nine-point victory, 100-91.
During the post-game interview, Green Archers Head Coach Topex Robinson highlighted the crucial third-quarter explosion after a back-and-forth first-half battle with UE, “We just executed the way we wanted to be; that’s the team that I saw, that I missed in the first half. It was a different team; they just got back into their senses. I’m just blessed to have these guys that respond to these challenges.”
M. Amos, one of the newest additions to the Taft-based squad, also emphasized what makes the talented and stacked team so special, “We have the talent, but it just comes down to hard work. We know, we open it up to hard work. It’s not just relying on pure talent, and I think that’s something I think we should always have because this team is more than just talent.”
The Green-and-White look to end the elimination round unscathed as they lock arms with the second-seeded UST Growling Tigers at the same venue this Wednesday, July 9, at 4 pm.
The Scores:
DLSU 100 – Pablo 14, M. Amos 13, J. Cortez 11, M. Cortez 11, Dungo 10, Abadam 9, Macalalag 8, Baclaan 8, Phillips 3, C. Amos 3, Melencio 3, Dagdag 3, Alian 2, Sarmiento 2, Nwanko 0, Zamora 0
UE 91 – Momowei 23, Lingolingo 19, Datumalim 12, Cruz-Dumont 10, Mulingtapang 8, Abate 8, Lagat 5, Distrito 3, Go 3, Cabero 0, Despi 0, Fong 0
Quarter Scores: 18-23, 39-43, 82-63, 100-91
