On the second day of the UAAP 3×3 Basketball Tournament, the DLSU Green and Lady Archers saw different results in their clashes with the NU Bulldogs and the AdU Lady Falcons yesterday, April 28, at the Homecourt in Ayala Malls Manila Bay.
The Green Archers began the day with a resounding victory against the NU Bulldogs, 21-13, while the Lady Archers were later edged out by the Lady Falcons, 19-17.
All fired up
On a quest to sustain their momentum, the Green Archers entered the game to the sight of a lively Ayala Malls Manila Bay crowd livening up the Homecourt. Sounding out the buzzer, an early interior attack from Jolo Navarro left the Green Archers dazed, 1-0. In an effort to regain composure, Doy Dungo and Luis Pablo led the charge with back-to-back points to ignite the offense, 3-1. This would lead to a duel between both sides with Tebol Garcia, Navarro, and Dungo at the helm, but the Lasallian defense adjusted to keep the Sampaloc-based side locked up, suppressing their momentum. Soon after, Pablo delivered a strong finish to the rim, initiating and completing an and-one, 7-3. After a rebound battle at the paint, with the ravenous Bulldogs offense looming closer coursing through Navarro, Pablo dished out a fierce attack of his own, pulling off a spin-move basket to fire up the Green-and-White and sustain their lead, 8-5.
As the match raged onward, La Salle’s defense continued pressuring the Bulldogs in committing successive shot clock violations. DLSU continued their hack and slash approach, showcasing NU’s defensive woes by sending Pablo and JC Macalalag to the line from tough finishes, 11-5. Just as NU was starting to find their groove through Reyes and Paul Francisco, Pablo sized up the Nationalians’ interior defense to unleash a strong finish and initiate contact again, 13-7. Despite the Bulldogs’ attempts to spark a comeback through Francisco, the Green Archers continued weaponizing their long-ranged arsenal with Dungo contributing from beyond the arc, 19-11. As the clock wound down, the might of the Green Archers came in full force once again, putting out defensive stops and minimizing the damage. La Salle concluded the cat-and-mouse game with Pablo and Macalalag making the final shots to hand the Bulldogs defeat, 21-13.
Last breath
On the women’s side of the court, the Lady Archers suffered a slow start with AdU’s Chezka Apag blitzing through the defense. After the Taft-based squad held out the Falcons for a shot clock violation, Kyla Go immediately made her presence known, making strong finishes to give the Lady Archers their first lead, 3-1, similar to their men’s counterparts. A tough clash ensued causing mayhem on the court with fouls being drawn from both sides. In spite of DLSU’s efforts to seize control and pick up the pace, Adamson’s bombardment marched forward, tying up the game with Apag having the hot hand, 6-all.
The efforts of the Lady Archers to counter were all for naught as Apag and Elaine Etang continued to attack the basket, spearheading Adamson’s offensive load, 10-7. As DLSU tried to minimize the damage capitalizing on drawn fouls, Adamson went on the offensive knocking down timely shots and free throws, courtesy of Jam Meniano, putting the Lady Archers on thin ice in the half-court, 18-13. Even with Go’s herculean efforts to keep the game alive, it did not suffice as La Salle was outplayed by the San Marcelino-based squad, sealing their fate, 19-17.
The Green-and-White will reevaluate their merits and shortcomings against the FEU Tamaraws, ADMU Blue Eagles, and UP Fighting Maroons on Thursday, April 30, at the same venue.
