The DLSU Green Archers achieved an early redemption in their 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup campaign, emerging victorious against the UST Growling Tigers, 79-78, in a down-to-the-wire thriller yesterday, May 20, at the Playtime Filoil Centre.
Finding their way back from an uphill battle, the reigning UAAP Season 88 champions took advantage of their dynamic offense to overcome their familiar adversaries. The Jacob Cortez and Mason Amos duo orchestrated the onslaught for the Green Archers with 13 points each, with Amos knocking down the game-winning three to claim their first victory.
Collins Akowe and Mark Llemit delivered noteworthy performances for UST, cementing the Growling Tigers with 16 points apiece in their nail-biter loss.
Cage match
On a mission to recollect themselves after their debut loss, the Green Archers and the Growling Tigers engaged in a back-and-forth bout early with EJ Gollena, Akowe, Ice Danting. Right when La Salle broke through the deadlock, 5-3, UST went on an 11-2 run and unleashed their own offensive arsenal. Llemit capped it off by making the Green Archers’ defense pay with back-to-back baskets despite Cortez’s efforts to initiate contact, 14-6. The Taft-based squad were left dazed as the yellow shirts’ defensive pressure continued closing in on them, forcing turnovers and losing key possessions. Following a tussle from both teams, the Lasallian offense started to heat up with Doy Dungo launching consecutive baskets to break the ice while demonstrating good ball movement, 18-14. As another clash went on, followed by an up-and-under finisher from Amiel Acido, La Salle remained within striking distance with UST holding on to their lead to seal the first quarter, 22-16.
Both teams came out swinging in the second frame with successive conversions apiece. The Green Archers remained consistent on both sides of the floor, displaying championship grit as they shot from beyond the arc and off the glass, capitalized on mismatches, and crashed the boards. Team Captain Earl Abadam, Amos, and Lebron Daep led the charge to minimize the damage done by the Growling Tigers, 28-26. The momentum Lasalle built up would come into fruition as Dungo broke away from two defenders to score a tough shot, bringing the game to a 33-all deadlock.
La Salle continued to leverage the Sampaloc-based squad’s mishaps and foul trouble. Cortez and Seven Gagate lit up the Green Archers on offense, breaking through and closing the first half with a seven-point cushion, 43-36.
Sealing the deal
As the lead narrowed, the Green Archers found themselves overwhelmed by Akowe as two early fouls sent him to the line. La Salle would finally nab their bucket after a scoring drought, courtesy of a cunning JC Macacalag drive that evaded the defense. Daep continued to push the pace by adding a high-arching floater, which was followed by a fastbreak layup to distance DLSU, 49-43. The Green-and-White offense utilized speed and cuts, ensuring they cruised past a stalwart UST defense. Despite Akowe maintaining his foothold with second chance opportunities, the Taft-based squad blew the lid wide open with Guillian Quines driving his way off a steal to inflate their cushion to 13, 57-44, the largest of the game. However, the España-based squad recalibrated late to respond as they went on a 10-1 run to cap the quarter as DLSU narrowly held on, 58-54.
As the final period commenced, the Green-and-White continued to struggle while UST carried on their third quarter momentum. Akowe and Llemit led the onslaught with consecutive baskets to retake the lead, 59-58. Every point never went unanswered, but the physicality put both teams into the penalty quickly. Eventually, the Growling Tigers won the tug, as Akowe extended the gap to a sizable 73-69 advantage. To counter, Cortez’s last-second three as the shot clock expired allowed DLSU to regain their spirits. Despite another Akowe paint basket, Amos sent in the game-tying three, 75-all. Consecutive fouls down both stretches gave each team a point apiece, but in the dying seconds, Llemit found his way to the key for a fadeaway jumper to break the deadlock, 78-76. With one last chance to seal the deal, La Salle looked onto Amos, who stayed ready for the catch-and-shoot three, nailing it in to snatch the victory, 79-78.
In a post-game interview conducted by The LaSallian, Amos detailed his mindset after nailing the crucial back-to-back triples to ice the game: ”We gained momentum near the end with the defensive stop, and then they were so focused on Jacob [Cortez] that I was able to get open.” The big man’s shooting prowess allowed him to stay dangerous for opportunities to knock it down in the biggest moments.
Amos also noted that the Akowe onslaught proved to be a thorn in the Green-and-White’s side. The team also settled for adjustments, with Amos stating: “We get more responsibilities as a collective to fill the void Mike Phillips left. Rebounding, scoring, the hustle plays, it’s not one person stepping up, it’s everybody”
The DLSU Green Archers aim to bring their winning spur in their bout with the FEU Tamaraws on Friday, June 12, at 5 pm at the same venue.
DLSU 79 – Cortez 13, Amos 13, Dungo 10, Gagate 8, Quines 8, Abadam 7, Daep 7, Gollena 6, Pablo 5, Macalalag 2, Melencio 0, Kulang 0, Sharma 0
UST 78 – Akowe 16, Llemit 16, Buenaflor 11, Danting 10, Cañete 8, Sevilla 5, Crisostomo 4, Acido 3, Manding 3, Porter 2, Esteban 0, Calum 0, Bucsit 0
Quarter Scores: 22-16, 43-36, 58-54, 79-78