Now on a three-win high, the DLSU Green Archers exacted retribution on the gritty UST Growling Tigers for an 86-77 payback victory in their UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament Round Two opener earlier tonight, October 25, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Jcee Macalalag’s killer instincts paved the way for the Archers’ vengeance, coming in hot from beyond the arc with four treys to chalk up 18 points on top of four rebounds and three assists to claim the Player of the Game honors. Jacob Cortez, Vhoris Marasigan, and Earl Abadam also stuffed the stat sheets with double-digit contributions, unleashing 12, 10, and 10 markers, respectively.
Super rookie Collins Akowe led the Growling Tigers’ valiant efforts with a double-double output of 20 points and 14 rebounds. Gelo Crisostomo, Mark Llemit, and Nic Cabanero were unsung heroes with double-digit showings of their own, notching 15, 13, and 12 points, respectively.
Easy, tiger
The DLSU Green Archers entered the hardwood court, eyeing to redeem their Round One loss against the España mainstays. Right off the bat, both squads unleashed aggressive offense with a teeter-totter struggle for the lead. Quickly shrugging off a triple by UST’s Llemit, Macalalag valiantly racked up two consecutive buckets from beyond the arc to help La Salle pull ahead and never look back for the rest of the first half, 13-9. DLSU’s assertive offensive rebounds also swiftly produced points in the arc, flexed by Luis Pablo’s instant tip-in off Gollena’s missed free throw and Marasigan’s drive for a jumper to extend the lead to seven and force the Thomasians to call for a timeout, 19-12, with 2:20 remaining. Kyle Paranada hoped to keep the Tigers at bay with his classic three-pointer to cap off a 5-0 run for UST, but Lasallian homegrown rookie Guillian Quines had other plans, rapidly answering back with a 5-0 run of his own off a three-point retaliation and a fastbreak layup to end the first canto with DLSU up by seven points, 24-17.
The second quarter was no exception in DLSU’s field-goal jamboree. Despite Akowe’s all-around offensive and defensive efforts to keep UST within striking distance, he was no match for Pablo and Macalalag. Bouncing from a silent first quarter, Cortez made his presence known with two uncontested jumpers to boost an 8-1 run for the Archers, accumulating a double-digit lead and pushing Coach Pido Jarencio’s squad to call for a timeout at 6:55, 36-24. The Taft stalwarts showcased great turnover conversion as Abadam and Marasigan also began to make waves at the homestretch of the first half, converting offensive rebounds into jumpers. Cortez remained hot with difficult shots, topped off by a lucky triple to evade UST’s firm defense and cement a comfortable 22-point cushion, 52-30. However, the yellow jerseys suddenly locked in at clutch time with consecutive dagger treys to quickly cut the lead down to 16 coming into the second half, 52-36.
Caught, cornered, and tamed
UST tightened its defense as the third quarter began, determined to cool off La Salle’s blazing first-half momentum. Despite their running start, the Green-and-White struggled to maintain control, with turnovers and offensive fouls breaking their early rhythm. Even with Cortez’s floater and Abadam’s timely three momentarily giving the Green Archers ground, UST’s physicality and pace allowed the yellow shirts to trim the gap to 52–40. Doys Dungo, along with Lebron Daep, anchored the Taft-based squad’s defense, combining for crucial baskets that left the Legarda-based squad trailing at the end of the frame, 64–51.
La Salle’s fire carried into the final quarter as Cortez drained a triple and Daep followed with a layup, widening the gap to 69-53. The Growling Tigers answered with Cabañero and Crisostomo’s outside shooting, but Gollena’s pair of clutch threes kept the Archers comfortably ahead. Amid the rising tension and late fouls, DLSU held its composure, with Marasigan and Abadam adding key baskets before Macalalag sealed it from the line. Despite UST’s gritty push, La Salle’s balanced attack and defensive poise delivered the final word, cornering the Tigers to a collapse, 86-77.
After ending their Round Two opener on a high note, Coach Topex Robinson reflected on UST’s strength as a team: “They really are playing tremendous basketball together, so we just make sure that we’re gonna be coming in confident.” He also expounded on their preparation for the atmosphere that awaited them in their matchup against the Growling Tigers. “We know how loud that UST crowd will always be, so we make sure we quiet them a bit.”
When asked about their upcoming matchup against the UE Red Warriors, Coach Robinson shared, “We always have, parang [mayroon] kami palaging score to settle with UE.”
(It always feels like we have a score to settle with UE.)
He further added that every time they play against each other, it always leads to a breakout game. “They are always gonna be a deadly team against La Salle, so it’s gonna be a reminder to everyone in this team,” he reflected.
Coming off their Round Two opening victory, the DLSU Green Archers look to maintain their hot form against the UE Red Warriors on Wednesday, October 29, at 4:30 pm, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
DLSU 86 – Macalalag 18, Cortez 12, Abadam 10, Marasigan 10, Daep 8, Gollena 8, Phillips 6, Dungo 5, Quines 5, Pablo 4, Nwankwo 0
UST 77 – Akowe 20, Crisostomo 15, Llemit 13, Cabanero 12, Danting 5, Acido 4, Padrigao 3, Paranada 3, Calum 2, Buenaflor 0, Estacio 0
Quarter Scores: 24-17, 52-36, 64-51, 86-77
