The DLSU Green Archers were thrashed by the defending champions, the UP Fighting Maroons, 98-69, in their highly-anticipated clash at the 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup earlier tonight, July 6, at the Playtime Filoil Centre.
Francis Nnoruka led the way for the Diliman-based squad with 16 points, while Veejay Pre complemented the offensive charge with 13 markers to secure the blowout win.
Jacob Cortez delivered a solid performance despite the lopsided contest, providing a game-high 20 points along with nine rebounds and two assists to anchor the Lasallian offense.
Stumbling out of the gate
The Taft-based squad drew the first basket of the game behind a quick drive from Cortez, but their offense quickly stagnated as they struggled to execute their half-court sets. Plagued by early miscommunication, the Green-and-White surrendered six turnovers that fueled a scoring barrage for UP. Despite efforts from Cortez and JC Macalalag, who scored timely backdoor cuts to keep La Salle within striking distance, the Lasallians settled for contested shots. A late technical foul on Head Coach Topex Robinson compounded their defensive lapses, leaving them to trail the defending champions at the end of the opening frame, 24-15.
DLSU’s offensive frustrations spilled further into the second quarter as they immediately coughed up another possession. The Iskolars relentlessly punished the lackluster Lasallian defense as they dominated the offensive glass for second-chance points and drained long-range bombs to stretch their lead, forcing the green shirts to regroup on a timeout. Out of the huddle, Macalalag and Luis Pablo briefly resuscitated the offense by scoring five unanswered points to trim the deficit, 40-28, but La Salle failed to sustain the surge. Plagued by poor rebounding and back-to-back unforced errors in the dying moments of the first half, UP was able to comfortably enter the halftime break with a commanding 48-33 lead.
Relentless onslaught
La Salle got off to a hot start in the third juncture as a Dungo-three temporarily lit the Archers ablaze. However, the Maroons sustained their dominance, as Miguel Yniquez quickly answered with his own trey, 48-36. UP’s offense consisted of outrunning DLSU in transition for easy buckets, occasional jumpers, and most importantly, unselfish plays. The Maroon schemes freed up Pre for timely markers in the painted area, punishing La Salle’s zone defense with quick passes to expose the gaps. Toward the halfway mark, an array of Pre and Gani Stevens layups ballooned the lead to 63-39. The green shirts barely had any answers to UP’s all-around pressure that forced many careless turnovers. On the other hand, their big men rampaged in the post, which culminated in Sean Alter’s personal run as he broke down La Salle’s frontcourt to end the quarter, 81-49.
The final frame had DLSU trailing as Cortez succumbed to the incessant defensive pressure, surrendering possession in multiple plays which allowed UP to stretch the lead. Now playing a longer game of catch-up, Vhoris Marasigan and Cortez ignited the Lasallian fire with strong drives and opportunities from the foul line, 85-53. Cortez’s plan of attack revolved around outsmarting UP to secure fouls. However, his forceful drives dealt no impact, turning into turnovers and halting La Salle’s rhythm. Gilas Pilipinas Youth guard Joaquin Tovera—making his debut for the Maroons—left his mark as well, stripping the veteran guard for another Nnoruka layup to force the Taft side to call timeout at the 4:00 mark. Following the break, La Salle committed another uncharacteristic fumble, where Chicco Briones added to the Lasallian dismay with his aggressive offense, 98-69. With this victory, the Fighting Maroons remained unblemished as they clinched the top seed of the UAAP bracket, while the team from Taft settled for the third seed.
Following the loss, the Green Archers look to regroup as they anticipate a clash with the second seed from the NCAA bracket on Friday, July 10, at the same venue.
The Scores:
DLSU 69 – Cortez 20, Cibull 9, Macalalag 9, Pablo 8, Marasigan 7, Amos 4, Dungo 4, Daep 3, Gagate 3, Abadam 2, Melencio 0, Quines 0, Sharma 0
UP 98 – Nnoruka 16, Briones 14, Pre 13, Alter 9, Stevens 9, Remogat 7, Tovera 6, Bayla 5, Poyos 5, Ogana 4, Dimaculangan 3, Yniguez 3, Coronel 2, Franco 2, Palanca 0, Tan 0
Quarter Scores: 15-24, 33-48, 49-81, 69-98