FilOil: Green Archers squander hot start, collapse against Fighting Maroons in semifinal clash, 83-78

The DLSU Green Archers failed to return to the finals, suffering their first loss after falling short against the UP Fighting Maroons, 83-78, in the 18th FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup Semifinals earlier tonight, July 13, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.

Jacob Cortez led the Green-and-White in their fight for a finals berth, tallying 16 points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, Kean Baclaan chipped in 14 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.

On the winning side of the court, Rey Remogat was hailed Player of the Game, racking up 14 points, two rebounds, and an assist, while Gerry Abadiano contributed 12 points, eight rebounds, and an assist.

Power play

With a finals spot on the line, the first quarter started with both squads struggling to make baskets in the opening minutes. Abadiano broke the silence, giving the UP Fighting Maroons an early three-point lead. However, Amos quickly countered with his own offensive spark, including a three-pointer to tie the game, 7-all. 

Both teams then turned cold, unable to convert their shots into points and exchanging turnovers. The game was a close contest until Amos got back to his form with back-to-back threes to jumpstart La Salle’s offense, giving them an advantage against the Diliman-based squad with one minute remaining in the first quarter, 17-13. Baclaan extended the gap by making both baskets from the free-throw line, 21-13. But Seven Gagate retaliated with a fastbreak bucket, with La Salle still up with a six-point lead to close the quarter, 21-15.

The Green Archers continued to dominate in the opening minutes of the second quarter. It was a collective effort from the Taft-based squad as they continued their scoring run, 28-15. The Fighting Maroons, still under pressure from the Green Archers’ strong defense and back-to-back baskets, went scoreless for three minutes until Terrence Fortea ended the scoring drought with a quick jumper. But Cortez quickly answered, neutralizing the shot with a layup and two free throws, further extending La Salle’s lead, 32-19. The Green-and-White continued their offensive run with Luis Pablo’s layup extending La Salle’s advantage to their biggest lead of the match, 43-28. Diliman mainstay Chico Briones fired back with a sharp three-pointer, but Amos quickly countered this and closed the half with a close-range layup, and a comfortable double-digit lead in favor of La Salle, 45-31.

Hot then cold

The Green Archers appeared poised from their sharp 50-percent shooting in the first half, forcing the Fighting Maroons to recalibrate with their improved defense. However, turnovers began to plague La Salle, disrupting their rhythm and allowing a window for UP to get back into the game. With Mark Belmonte and Harold Alarcon orchestrating their offense, the Diliman-based squad surged ahead to cut the lead to eight, 48-40. Despite the lead, DLSU’s momentum had visibly collapsed as the field goals, once flowing with efficiency, were now stifled. The white shirts, led by Remogat, found their touch, trimming the deficit to just four as the Fighting Maroons tightened their grip, 48-44.

With the Archers’ offense running cold, Vhoris Marasigan and Baclaan stepped up and provided critical buckets to extend the lead to 53-48. Both Cortez and Baclaan scrambled to preserve a precarious three-point lead while trying to stop surging Gani Stevens and a fired-up Janjan Felicilda. However, it was Reyland Torres who continued to knock down shots from inside and beyond the arc that tied the game, 56-all.

La Salle headed into the fourth quarter with a better showing than the previous stretch. Baclaan opened the frame with an energizing putback that shifted the momentum in their favor and sparked a 6-0 run, 62-56. But UP kept pressing, opening up for Torres, who drove in for two with Alarcon’s smooth fadeaway bringing them within a point, 62-61. La Salle’s defense began to collapse as Stevens charged in to dominate the glass, converting second-chance opportunities to trim the margin to 67-66. Cortez’s attempt to secure the slim lead was not enough as the Taft-based squad struggled from the free-throw line, keeping the gap tight, 69-68. 

In a cinematic sequence, Baclaan settled the cold nerves, threading a perfect setup for a Phillips dunk, 71-68. But when it seemed that the story had unfolded for La Salle, Remogat redeemed his first-half struggles, burying back-to-back triples in the final minute to give the Fighting Maroons a five-point cushion, 78-73. In a whirlwind finish, Marasigan tried to rally a comeback with a quick two, only for Abadiano to respond with a driving layup, 81-75. With 30 seconds left, Baclaan delivered a stunning three to trim the gap, but Abadiano would seal the game with his free throws to stun the undefeated green shirts, 83-78. 

After suffering their first defeat of the tournament, the Green-and-White now set their sights on a podium finish as they face the UST Growling Tigers for the bronze medal at the same venue this Wednesday, July 16, at 4 pm.

The Scores:

DLSU 78 – Cortez 16, Baclaan 14, Phillips 12, Amos 11, Marasigan 11, Pablo 6, Nwankwo 5, Macalalag 3, Abadam 0, Dungo 0

UP 83 – Remogat 14, Abadiano 12, Stevens 12, Alarcon 9, Torres 9, Alter 6, Briones 6, Nnoruka 6, Belmonte 2, Bayla 2, Fortea 2, Gagate 2, Felicilda 1, Andres 0

Quarter Scores: 21-15, 45-31, 56-56, 83-78