The DLSU Green Archers booked their ticket to the quarterfinals after outlasting their sister school, the CSB Blazers, 76-66, in the round of 16 of the NSAC College Basketball Campus Tour earlier today May 10, at the UP Diliman Varsity Training Center. Entering the knockout phase as the second seed of Group D, the Green-and-White showcased their defensive tenacity to eliminate the opponents and keep their tournament campaign alive.
Anchoring the interior for La Salle, Luis Pablo registered a double-double outing of 16 points and 13 rebounds. JC Macalalag and Earl Abadam also asserted their presence, chipping in 13 and 11 markers, respectively, to bolster the attack of the Green Archers.
On the opposing side, Allen Liwag put up a valiant effort, posting 16 points and a game-high 14 boards for the Blazers. Josh Cajucom was the only other double-digit scorer for the eliminated squad, finishing with 10 points.
Riding the momentum shifts
The Archers deployed their championship-winning starting five of Jacob Cortez, Macalalag, Abadam, Mason Amos, and Pablo in their first knockouts game. Abadam stirred waves immediately, curling into the paint for a quick three-point play to ignite the Lasallian offense. Anchored by a suffocating full-court press, the DLSU defense forced consecutive steals that translated into fastbreak layups for Macalalag and Abadam, mounting a commanding 18-6 cushion. However, the Green Archers soon fell into an offensive drought. Plagued by empty possessions and careless turnovers, DLSU allowed CSB to mount an 11-0 run. Justin Sanchez and Liwag capitalized on these lapses to trim the deficit to a single point, 18-17, before Seven Gagate and Gillian Quines ignited a much-needed spark off the bench to end the opening frame with a 25-17 lead.
The physical defensive battle carried over into the second quarter. Janti Miller and Pablo aggressively attacked the interior, with Pablo securing multiple offensive boards and drawing fouls to maintain a 29-19 margin. Cortez later showcased his shot-making ability, sinking a step-back triple to keep them ahead, 33-26. Despite generating quality looks, La Salle struggled to convert point-blank attempts and heavily relied on their defensive stops. CSB exploited the shooting woes, finding open lanes to the basket as Matt Jucom and Liwag continuously chipped away at the deficit. Following a series of missed free throws from the Lasallians, Liwag scored inside during the closing seconds, narrowing the DLSU lead to 42-40 heading into the locker room.
Composure under pressure
Coming into the second half, the UAAP champions held on to their cushion despite Benildian surges that threatened their control. With just a two-point margin, Liwag kept the Blazers’ momentum alive by drilling a triple to hand CSB its first lead of the game, 43-42. The advantage, however, proved short-lived as La Salle regained its rhythm by attacking the paint in transition and crashing the boards, with Macalalag and Pablo leading the charge. As the quarter approached its halfway mark, both teams went cold offensively, with missed layups, rushed jumpers, and wasted possessions preventing either team from building momentum. Benilde eventually broke the drought by capitalizing on a DLSU turnover that led to a Cajucom layup, but Miller and Pablo responded with back-to-back baskets for a brief DLSU scoring run, 52-49. With under two minutes remaining, the Green Archers once again struggled to convert offensively as Liwag kept the Blazers in the game with another strong finish in the paint. Benilde then capitalized at the free-throw line, calmly knocking down their charities to erase the deficit and tie the game before the final period.
CSB carried their groove into the fourth quarter as they struck first through Jio Gonzaga’s quick run to push their advantage to 57–53. La Salle kept themselves within reach through Abadam and Cortez at the line, steadily trimming the deficit as both teams traded stops in a tense, physical stretch. CSB briefly regained control behind Ian Torres’ three, but La Salle answered with interior scoring from Pablo, while Cortez found Gagate open for a triple to level the game at 62-all. From there, the match tightened into a back-and-forth grind, with neither side able to pull away. La Salle showed notable composure under pressure, relying on disciplined execution in half-court sets and steady decision-making from Cortez to stay poised despite CSB’s repeated answers. In a crucial sequence, the Blazers were called for a three-second violation on Liwag, giving La Salle a much-needed stop and a break in momentum during a critical stretch. This composure paid off as Cortez converted a clutch and-one to swing control in their favor, 67-66. CSB tried to respond, but La Salle banked on the momentum with Macalalag knocking down a jumper to extend the lead. Down the stretch, the Archers took full control as Amos anchored the defense with key stops and delivered a game-icing three that stretched the cushion, 74-66. La Salle remained composed as they executed clean possessions and forced difficult shots on the other end in the final stretch. With the clock winding down, the Archers simply ran it out over the final 20 seconds, sealing a 76–66 victory over their NCAA counterparts to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Scores:
DLSU 76 – Pablo 16, Macalalag 13, Abadam 11, Cortez 10, Amos 7, Gagate 7, Miller 7, Kulang 2, Quines 2, Daep 1, Melencio 0
CSB 66 – Liwag 16, Cajucom 10, Ancheta 6, Sanchez 6, Galas 5, Torres 5, Gonzaga 4, Jucom 4, Moore 4, Celis 3, Podador 3, Baliquig 0, Go 0, Morales 0
Quarter Scores: 25-17, 42-40, 53-all, 76-66