The DLSU Green Archers endured a crushing defeat at the hands of the UST Growling Tigers, 93-84, in their UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament Round One meeting earlier tonight, September 27, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. This marks their first defeat to the España-based squad after a 16-game win streak dating back to UAAP Season 78.
Jacob Cortez led the Green-and-White with 17 points and three rebounds. Meanwhile, Earl Abadam followed him up with 11 points in their loss.
Collins Akowe was the Player of the Game for UST, tallying a double-double of 20 points and 19 rebounds. UST Team Captain Nic Cabañero led the game in scoring with 29 points in their win.
Chaos ensues
Jacob Cortez began the opening frame firing on all cylinders, scoring eight straight points to give DLSU an early 8-2 lead. UST responded through Akowe and Cabanero, trimming the deficit to just two, before Crisostomo’s triple sent the UST crowd into a frenzy with a brief 9-8 lead. Mike Phillips quickly answered with a tough layup, and Cortez continued to assert his presence with another bucket. DLSU regained control with Mike’s relentless energy on the boards, pushing the lead to 16-9. Both teams traded baskets as Dungo’s three and Baclaan’s free throws helped DLSU stay ahead despite UST’s efforts to keep it close behind Cabañero and Acido. In the final seconds of a fast-paced quarter, Baclaan dished a beautiful assist to Pablo for a smooth finish at the rim, capping an explosive first period with DLSU holding a five-point advantage, 27-22.
To kick off the second quarter, Team Captain Abadam went to work on both ends, opening up driving lanes for both Marasigan and Phillips to extend La Salle’s lead to double digits. UST stayed within striking distance behind Akowe and Acido, but Cortez and Abadam kept the offense flowing, pushing the lead to 37-31. Foul trouble then began to loom for DLSU as both Baclaan and Cortez picked up their second fouls midway through the quarter. Despite the setback, Pablo made his presence felt on the boards, converting a pair of hustle plays into key buckets. UST would push for a late push led by Padrigao as he knocked down a clutch three, Baclaan then responded with a highlight-reverse layup, 45-42. Both squads would go back-and-forth as Akowe added a couple more from the stripe, but Gomez answered with a clutch bucket to give DLSU a 49-45 edge heading into the half, capping a high-octane quarter that saw both teams trading blows and momentum swings.
Heartbreak ending
After a thrilling end to the first half, the Green Archers immediately found their momentum on the offensive end. Abadam and Cortez found space from the perimeter to extend their lead, 54-48. However, the Growling Tigers did not allow the Green-and-White to build a comfortable lead as Cabañero led the charge for the España-based squad, making baskets inside the paint to keep themselves in striking distance, 62-56. The Lasallians were unfazed by the white shirts, continuing their shot selection from outside. Their nonstop ball movement opened up Amos for three early three-pointer to extend their lead to nine with five minutes to go, 65-56. Despite the early momentum, the Taft-based squad was unable to hold on to their cushion. Akowe’s inside presence on both ends of the floor and Cabañero’s constant points in the paint shifted the momentum to UST. Eventually, Green Archers Head Coach Topex Robinson was forced to call for a timeout after Amiel Acido’s three-pointer cut the lead to four with two minutes left in the third, 70-66. The Thomasians carried their momentum after the timeout, as Akowe and Cabañero continued aggression inside the paint, 70-all. With less than a minute left, Gollena and Abadam made hustle plays to ensure that La Salle held on to the lead to end the third quarter, 74-72.
DLSU shifted their defensive schemes on containing Akowe. However, their focus on the UST center opened up Crisostomo for an open look to tie the game, 76-all. La Salle struggled to deal with the Growling Tigers’ inside aggression, relying on fouls to stop easy looks. Despite a Marasigan three-pointer, UST grabbed the advantage with Akowe giving the Thomasian offense good spacing for Acido to drain another perimeter shot, 84-79.
To stop the bleeding for La Salle, Coach Robinson subbed in Dungo and Daep. This bore fruit as Dungo drained his own three-pointer to cut the lead to three, forcing UST to call a timeout with three minutes left, 85-82. After the timeout, DLSU suffered an offensive drought, unable to deal with UST’s defensive rotations. Akowe added salt to La Salle’s wound, making back-to-back hook shots, despite the Green-and-White surrounding him inside the paint. The Growling Tigers’ team captain sealed the win after another inside shot to extend their lead to 11, forcing DLSU to call a timeout, 93-82. La Salle’s hopes of staging a comeback quickly died, despite Abadam’s late layup as the clock ran out, handing the Green Archers their first defeat of the season at the hands of a resurging UST, 93-84.
After this tough setback, the Green Archers drop to 1-1 in the standings. The Taft-based squad will be looking to bounce back on Wednesday, October 1, at 2 pm, as they take on the FEU Tamaraws at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Scores:
DLSU 84 – Cortez 17, Abadam 11, Amos 9, Baclaan 9, Marasigan 9, Phillips 8, Dungo 6, Gollena 4, Gomez 4, Pablo 4, Daep 3, Nwankwo 0
UST 93 – Cabanero 27, Akowe 20, Acido 13, Padrigao 12, Paranada 9, Crisostomo 5, Llemit 3, Danting 2, Laure 2, Bucsit 0, Calum 0, Estacio 0
Quarter Scores: 27-22, 49-45, 74-72, 84-93
