The DLSU Green Archers let their arrows fly on target over the AdU Soaring Falcons and UE Red Warriors for a spotless first day in their UAAP Season 88 Men’s 3×3 campaign earlier today, April 27, at the Homecourt in Ayala Malls Manila Bay.
The Green-and-White began the day with a commanding victory against the AdU Soaring Falcons, 21-16, then made quick work of the UE Red Warriors, 21-11, to establish their momentum.
Familiar territory
Intense pressure from both sides painted the Homecourt of the bustling Ayala Malls Manila Bay. Inside attacks were immediately closed off as the floor warmed up early on. To counter the prompt interior clash, a pair of twinners from Adamson’s AJ Fransman and Noah Pacquiao were launched from deep to grab an early advantage, 4-0. However, reigning MVP Doy Dungo soon injected life into the Lasallian offense with his bag of varied tricks. JC Macalalag joined the splash party with his own jumper from deep, then followed with a tough and-one to grant La Salle their first lead of the ball game at 7-5.
Contrasting approaches revealed themselves as the game rolled forward, La Salle emphasized their slashing and finishing inside while the Falcons spaced the floor with their perimeter shots. Back-and-forth action continued, as Allen Perez held down the paint to keep the Falcons afloat with a strong inside finish, 9-8. The Archers marched behind EJ Gollena’s crafty layups and Macalalag’s markers from deep. While AdU was able to capitalize on shots from the arc to bring the game to 15-all. However, DLSU’s championship DNA would light the court up in crunch time. A barrage of long-ranged threats from all three Archers on the floor put the game to rest, concluding with Team Captain Earl Abadam’s game winning shot from downtown, 21-16.
Full control
Before their second bout, the Green Archers made a key strategic substitution that would pay off tenfold: the entrance of Luis Pablo. The high-octane player immediately made his presence in the low block known with a powerful putback, which was followed by a flurry of green strikes in the paint, 3-1. The contagious momentum quickly spilled over to the defensive side of the ball as DLSU forced multiple turnovers and shot clock violations toward UE. With the 3×3 format pushing for a quicker style of play and wider spacing for drives and long range shots, an emphatic slam dunk and post move by Pablo further lit the spirits of the crowd, 6-2.
An exchange of long-ranged shots was sparked by UE’s Nurjadden Datmalin and was further ignited by Abadam and Dungo, with the latter sinking back-to-back bombs, 12-5. The Green-and-White fury ran rampant, leaving the Red Warriors struggling to plug the gaps. Even with an and-one from beyond the arc—courtesy of Cole Cruz-Dumont to make it 16-11, the Recto-based squad were unable to withstand DLSU’s all-out offensive onslaught and suffocating defense. The seasoned Lasallians—Abadam and Macalalag seized control and never looked back for the remainder of the contest, pinning the game at 21-11.
After the substitution, Pablo’s energy and impact in the game was immediately felt. The athletic big knew what he brought to the table and capitalized on it, which the Green-and-White enforced on the competition. “My greatest assets [are] my quickness and my jumping ability, and before the game started, from the jump—we had to be aggressive, and it set the tone early so we had a big gap against them,” Pablo shared.
In ushering the campaign on the half-court with a seasoned mindset of bringing the four-peat to Taft, Team Captain Abadam imparted his calm mindset and belief in the squad’s preparation for the title defense: “Same as usual. We bring that intensity, that preparation to every game, we know that we have the chance to bring a fourth championship, so we just want to stay focused on what we need to do each game.”
The Green-and-White will channel their inner strengths and power through the rest of their upcoming slate as they face off against the NU Bulldogs tomorrow, April 28, at the same venue.
