The DLSU Green Archers were unable to overcome the NU Bulldogs once again, 75-67, falling in their matchup in the #UAAPSeason88 Men’s Basketball Tournament Elimination Round earlier today, November 2, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Lifting the Green-and-White against the Bulldogs’ three-point shootout was Jacob Cortez, posting 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Captains Earl Abadam and Mike Phillips also delivered double-digit markers, tallying 13 and 11 points each in the tight battle.
On the other hand, the NU Bulldogs brought out gunners Nash Enriquez and Paul Francisco to propel their offense, landing 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Losing grip
With a four-win streak powering the DLSU Green Archers in their third game of Round Two, the Taft-based squad was eager to take down the dominant NU Bulldogs. Kicking things off for the Green-and-White was Cortez, who sank a mid-range jumper off a Phillips feed to counter Jake Figueroa’s fiery trey early on, 3-all. Past the halfway mark of the first frame, the Green Archers were able to keep the Bulldogs at bay through coordinated play and a robust defense inside the perimeter. Cortez set up another fast-paced play for the Lasallians, driving inside the paint to finish off a spin-move pass to a subbed-in Luis Pablo, waiting right by the ring to give them a small margin, 15-12. With NU eager to end the opening quarter on an advantage, Mark Parks unloaded a sharp triple with one minute left in the game to pull closer, 23-22. However, DLSU refused to give up the upper hand as Phillips made up for his missed free throws by snatching the ball off a mishandle to dump a buzzer-beating three, 26-22.
Marking the end of an energizing first quarter, the Green Archers hoped to keep up the momentum to the next part of their clash. On the other side of the court, the Bulldogs found their rhythm less than three minutes into the following frame, unloading a 10-2 scoring blitz capped off with a Reinhard Jumamoy triple to overtake, 32-29. With a disqualifying foul on Vhoris Marasigan and an overwhelming run shaking up the Green Archers, Co-captain Phillips rose to the occasion with a spin layup off an assist from Gollena to cut the lead and regain their composure, 38-33. Co-captain Abadam also stepped up and served the last bit of action for DLSU before heading into the halftime break, registering an uncontested fastbreak that was made possible by a Pablo steal, 48-38. However, the Bulldogs ultimately sank the faltering Lasallians with their shooting prowess and lockdown defense, limiting their scoring output to 12 from their 28 points. The first half was anchored by NU’s Enriquez and Francisco’s flawless output, 50-38.
Aggressive ending
After losing control in the closing minutes of the first half, the Green Archers were adamant to change the course of the game in the third quarter. Team Co-captain Abadam immediately set the tone with a three pointer to cut the lead to single digits, 50-41. However, Omar John’s inside presence on both ends of the court proved to be a headache for La Salle. The Green-and-White were forced to settle for perimeter shots and use their entire shot clocks with NU’s defense intact in the first five minutes. Nevertheless, DLSU stayed aggressive, drawing Francisco’s fourth foul and putting the Bulldogs in the penalty. With John subbed out, La Salle was able to cut the lead down to six after splitting their series of free throws, followed by Pablo’s fastbreak layup from an Abadam assist, 55-49. Despite their attempts, the Green-and-White were unable to sustain their momentum, giving NU easy buckets inside, including a Padrones and-one which brought the lead back to double digits, 61-51. But with the Bulldogs still in the penalty, Daep and Phillips’ late free throws brought La Salle within striking distance, 61-54.
With center John back on the court, the Green Archers doubled on their efforts in crashing the boards to grab second chance points. La Salle’s top scorers made sure to make the offensive rebounds count as Abadam and Cortez drained their pull up mid-range shots to cut the lead to five, 63-58. The Taft-based squad got injected with another boost as the Sampaloc-based squad were put in the penalty with seven minutes left. However, Francisco’s and-one three-pointer once again put the comeback in doubt, 67-59. The Bulldogs pushed Padrones in to pair up with John in dealing with La Salle’s rebounding efforts, limiting the Green Archers’ second chance efforts. Francisco’s fifth foul on Cortez once again brought La Salle to striking distance as the star guard cut the lead to six, 69-63. La Salle were still unable to put a stop to NU’s fluid ball movement with Enriquez draining his fourth three-pointer to crush DLSU’s spirit, 72-64. As the green shirts continued to attack, there was not enough time to turn their fortunes. Left without a choice, the Taft squad surrendered their win streak and suffered their fourth loss of the season, 75-67.
The Green Archers look to regroup and get back on track as they take on their bitter rivals ADMU Blue Eagles next Sunday, November 9, at 4:30 pm at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU 67 – Cortez 16, Abadam 13, Phillips 11, Pablo 10, Macalalag 5, Daep 4, Dungo 4, Gollena 2, Marasigan 2, Nwanko 0, Quines 0
NU 75 – Enriquez 16, Francisco 14, John 12, Parks 7, Figueroa 5, Garcia 5, Padrones 4, Manansala 4, Palacielo 3, Jumamoy 3, Dela Cruz 2, Tulabot 0
Quarter Scores: 26-22, 38-50, 54-61, 67-75
