The DLSU Green Archers were vanquished at the hands of NCAA Season 101 Champions SBU Red Lions, 77-76, in their opening bid at the NSAC College Basketball Campus Tour earlier today, April 12, at the San Beda University MVP Gym.
Zed Etulle spearheaded the offensive charge for the hosts with 21 points, while Dan Marcelo and RC Calimag provided crucial firepower to secure the win, contributing 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Despite falling short, Jacob Cortez and Mason Amos delivered stellar performances. Cortez anchored the Green-and-White offense with a team-high 16 points, while Amos added 13 markers in the tightly contested loss.
Weathering the Mendiola barrage
The SBU Red Lions capitalized on their home-court advantage early as Calimag struck first for the hosts. Cortez immediately answered to tie the game at 2-all, quickly settling into his former stomping grounds as he collaborated with fellow former Bedan Janti Miller to establish an early 15-10 cushion for the Taft-based squad. However, the Green-and-White struggled to execute a fluid half-court offense, hampered by miscommunication and careless turnovers. Capitalizing on the Lasallian errors, Aldous Torculas and Calimag spearheaded a blistering 16-5 run to close the opening period as SBU punished the disjointed defense with hot perimeter shooting, claiming a 26-20 advantage.
DLSU’s offensive frustrations spilled into the second quarter as they missed point-blank opportunities and surrendered crucial offensive boards. Bismarck Lina bullied his way through the paint, highlighting a surge that stretched the deficit to double digits, 41-28. Plagued by penalty woes and transition defense breakdowns, the Lasallians desperately needed a spark. Following these lapses, JC Macalalag breathed life into the stagnant La Salle offense. He drained a corner three-point basket to snap the scoring drought and converted a crucial and-one play off a high-pressure steal. This late defensive stand allowed the DLSU Green Archers to trim the deficit, heading into the locker room facing a 44-37 gap.
Heavy is the head
Coming out of halftime, the Green-and-White made adjustments to their defensive schemes, holding the Bedans to just two field goals in the quarter while storming back on offense. Despite an early triple and a free throw from Etulle, Cortez pulled the strings by orchestrating an 8-0 Lasallian run from a Pablo basket and consecutive triples by Abadam and Amos, 48-45. Etulle would momentarily give the NCAA champions a breather with a reverse lay, but La Salle continued to push the intensity. With the Bedans unable to sustain their hot shooting from the previous half, the Archers capitalized with timely turnovers and trips to the charity stripe to even the game at 50-all. DLSU would retake the lead as spark plug EJ Gollena made his presence felt, initiating contact at all levels and hustling for offensive boards, sparking a 7-0 run. Irish Coquia then added to the home side’s dismay by launching a triple to extend the lead to double-digits, 60-50. Nygel Gonzales attempted to inject life into the San Beda offense with a trey, but he was answered by Coquia’s long midrange basket. The court residents’ poor shooting forced them to rely on free throws for points as the green shirts ended the quarter in control, 62-54.
La Salle would be unable to sustain their strong third quarter, going scoreless in the first two minutes while Marcelo immediately set the tone by initiating fouls, with the second being an and-one that reignited the Mendiola crowd, 62-57. With the UAAP kings now struggling to find form, the Red Lions retaliated with another foul-counted basket to put them within striking distance. The Bedans continued to pile pressure on the Lasallians as they used the bonus to their advantage, with Amos committing a crucial foul on Hawkins from the box-out. Hawkins split his free throws to give San Beda the lead and outhustled the Archers to extend their cushion from a putback, 74-71. Cortez attempted to spark the offense to no avail, but Amos positioned himself for the putback to narrow the gap to one with 9.4 seconds left. Still within striking distance, Etulle was sent to the line for split free throws, but Abadam would turn the ball over on the quick drive, squandering the opportunity. Etulle sealed the game with successive free throws as the half-court heave from Amos was not enough, handing the Archers defeat in the clash of champions, 77-76.
Following the tightly contested game, Green Archers’ leading scorer Cortez highlighted the team’s mindset, describing the preseason as an opportunity platform to build chemistry with the new additions, “Preseason is about learning how we are as a new team—[especially after] losing a lot of key players—and getting a feel with each other.” The point guard then reflected on the back-and-forth nature of the fourth quarter, acknowledging his shot selection, along with adjusting to the tendencies of his new teammates.
Meanwhile, Amos expounded on humility despite coming off a championship, “Just because we won a championship last year, we’re going on a mindset as underdogs,” he shared, emphasizing the importance of staying grounded. He added that avoiding complacency is key, as any lapse in focus could allow other teams to beat them at any time.
The UAAP Season 88 champions shift their attention to their clash with the AdU Soaring Falcons as they vie to bounce back on Saturday, April 18, at 2 pm at the Blue Eagle Gym.
The Scores:
DLSU 76 – Cortez 16, Amos 13, Macalalag 11, Gollena 10, Coquia 9, Abadam 5, Melencio 4, Miller 4, Dungo 2, Pablo 2, Gagate 0
SBU 77 – Etulle 21, Marcelo 16, Calimag 13, Hawkins 7, Gonzales 5, Lina 5, Torculas 4, Medroso 3, Vailoces 3, Batongbakal 0, Culdora 0, Dela Rama 0, Estacio 0, Jalbuena 0, Torres 0
Quarter Scores: 20-26, 37-44, 62-54, 76-77
