The DLSU Green Archers fell to the NCAA’s reigning champions San Beda Red Lions in a 64-59 contest, bowing out of contention after their quarterfinal clash in the 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup earlier tonight, July 10, at the Playtime Filoil Centre.
Dominic Sarigumba’s all-around showing of 10 points, seven assists and six boards spearheaded the Mendiola-based squad to victory. Aiding him were Zedjay Etulle and former Green Archer Penny Estacio, who notched 10 and eight points, respectively, apiece.
Despite the loss, Jacob Cortez scored a game-high 13 markers, along with five assists and six rebounds. Mason Amos played his part by contributing 11 points, four boards and a block.
Bombs away
The atmosphere was electric as the last match of the day saw the UAAP and NCAA’s reigning champions go head-to-head. Right off the bat, premier guards Estacio and Cortez initiated the offense for both squads, with the Green Archers capturing an early lead through an inside look from Mason Amos, 5-3, but San Beda immediately fought back with Sarigumba and Jomel Puno taking charge. As the game rolled on, DLSU was hit by a drought as the second unit entered. SBU carved out an edge through tough individual shot-making, while the Green-and-White completely stalled, missing jumpers and committing turnovers. To break the slump, Vhoris Marasigan attacked with his own five-point burst in the quarter’s dying moments as DLSU trailed, 16-12.
The second frame saw a contrasting ball game with a slower pace and more errors, evident in a dry spell that loomed over the first two minutes. As Cortez finally broke the ice with a smooth pull-up jumper at the 7:40 mark, the Green Archers clamped down on the defensive end, further slowing the Bedans down and forcing low-percentage shots. Momentum followed on offense with inside hits from Amos, Lebron Daep and Luis Pablo granting DLSU a slim 24-20 lead. However, the Red Lions fought harder. Through Kyle Jamora’s drives and Sarigumba’s stellar play, the Red Lions regained control and capped the surge with a buzzer-beater from deep to close the half at 33-27.
Falling short
Entering the second half trailing, the Green Archers continued tightening their defensive rotations and coverages to prevent the Red Lions from pulling away. JC Macalalag and Marasigan anchored the resistance, forcing crucial blocks and deflections that translated into transition baskets to keep the Green-and-White within striking distance. Despite stifling San Beda’s fastbreak opportunities, La Salle struggled to find their rhythm from beyond the arc. Lapses in controlling the boards allowed the Bedans to capitalize on second-chance points, pushing the Red-and-White’s lead back to double digits, 42-32. With Cortez taking a breather, Doy Dungo emerged as the offensive sparkplug for the Lasallians, aggressively attacking the paint to get and-one opportunities and trimming the lead down to seven as they headed into the final period of play, 46-39.
San Beda quickly extinguished any momentum La Salle had at the opening of the fourth quarter, draining a three-pointer to re-establish a double-digit lead. As time continued to run out, the Taft-based squad amplified their full-court pressure. Pablo provided a much-needed boost on both ends of the court, complemented by a Daep spinning layup to make it a two-possession game, 53-49. However, the Archers’ inability to secure rebounds proved costly, allowing the lead to balloon back to double digits due to costly second-chance points. As desperation crept in, the Lasallians surged in the final minutes of the game with clutch stops from Jason Cibull, Macalalag, and Cortez, which were converted to quick points to trim the Bedan lead. Forced to play the foul game in the final minute, DLSU managed to draw closer with an Amos quick shot inside, but Red Lions guard Estacio maintained his composure as he was sent to the charity stripe to ice the game, 64-59.
Following their quarterfinal elimination, the Green Archers will look to regroup and address the costly lapses that plagued their preseason campaign. The Taft-based squad will aim to build on the positives highlighted during the tournament while shoring up their weaknesses.
The Scores:
DLSU 59 – Cortez 13, Amos 11, Dungo 10, Marasigan 9, Macalalag 6, Pablo 4, Daep 4, Cibull 2, Abadam 0, Gagate 0, Melencio 0, Quines 0, Sharma 0
SBU 64 – Sarigumba 10, Etulle 10, Estacio 8, Puno 7, Hawkins 6, Songcuya 6, Bonzalida 5, Jamora 5, C. Calimag 4, Calimag 3, Culdora 0, Dabao 0, Jalbuena 0, Medroso 0, Uggadan 0
Quarter Scores: 12-16, 27-33, 39-46, 59-64