Facing a tall task without star guard Jacob Cortez, the DLSU Green Archers found their strength in numbers with a much needed victory against the UST Growling Tigers, 92-80, in Round 2 of the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament tonight, October 25, at the Blue Eagle Gym.
JC Macalalag led the Green-and-White with a game-high 28 points, three rebounds, and three assists, while Doy Dungo added 24 points and Joaquin Tovera put up an all-around performance with 15 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and three steals.
Amiel Acido scored 20 points and seven rebounds in the losing effort for UST, while Landyn Jumawan added 18 points on six three-pointers made.
Weathering the storm
Despite missing Cortez’s offense, the Green Archers jumped out to an early lead to start the game, led by Dungo who scored nine early points for the Green-and-White. UST was not fazed by La Salle’s early 13-8 advantage, as they kept within striking distance all thanks to their red-hot distance shooting spearheaded by Jumawan and Acido, who also had a fiery start with eight quick first quarter points. The Growling Tigers were missing production from their big man Collins Akowe, as DLSU bigs Henry Agunnane and Mason Amos kept him quiet, locking down the paint against UST. With good ball movement and offense, the Green Archers ended the first quarter with a 25-19 lead.
Dungo opened up the second with a three to extend the lead for DLSU, but UST kept on making their shots, as a quick Jumawan three followed by a fastbreak bucket by Mark Llemit gave the Growling Tigers their first lead, 34-36, forcing Head Coach Topex Robinson to call a timeout. Earl Abadam made a quick three to snatch the lead back from UST, and free throws from Dungo made it a 39-36 lead for DLSU. The Growling Tigers still swished from three, and quick fouls by Seven Gagate on Akowe got UST in the penalty late in the period. The España big man was still quiet despite the production, as DLSU hung on to a three-point lead entering halftime, 47-44.
Deafening shootout
Heading into the third frame, DLSU employed a tight 2-3 zone to hinder any potential catch-and-shoot threes from the corner pockets. Tovera opened the Lasallian offense with a pull-up jumper as he started to get into the groove, while the duo of Macalalag and Dungo spearheaded the Green-and-White attack from beyond the arc with back-to-back threes to take a sizable four point lead, 55-51. The midway of the quarter culminated in a three-point storm as both squads rained down buckets from deep, going basket for basket, with Llemit, Abadam, Macalalag, and Jumawan each contributing threes to the barrage, ultimately ending in DLSU trailing 68-63. La Salle transitioned into a 1-3-1 zone to stop the bleeding, yet only amplified it further, as the decision left the corners open with Jumawan capitalizing on a corner three. Despite this, Macalalag was no stranger to the show, drilling another three to get within striking distance as he continued his high-efficiency night, 68-66. The dying minutes saw a high physicality cage fight between the squads, with bodies on the floor and fouls on the board. Green-and-White stalwart Marasigan was rushed off the floor following a collision. Following an offensive dry spell on both teams, the Taft-based squad headed into the final frame trailing, 71-67.
Eager to inject the offense, DLSU headed into the fourth with Tovera as the lead guard, which paid dividends for the squad. Tovera started his onslaught with an easy lob to Agunanne for the tip-in, swiftly following with a crafty pick-and-roll play, dishing yet again to the big man and dazing the Growling Tigers’ defense. Tovera did not stop on the offense as he went both ways, picking pockets for a steal and leading to an assist to Macalalag in the corner pocket for three, retaking the lead and sending the Lasallian faithful into a frenzy, 74-73. UST ultimately lived by the three and died by the three, as the España-based squad could not find the net late into the quarter. Tovera pushed his pace even further, hustling back for a getaway steal that led to a Dungo fastbreak layup, invigorating the offense with a pull-up three, and capping off his late surge with a one-hand lookaway dish to Dungo, 82-74. Llemit finally put UST on the board with a layup in an attempt to cut the Taft-based squad’s momentum, but it was too late. The final nail in the coffin was Tovera’s dagger layup, putting UST to bed, as the disgruntled España crowd headed for the exits to the delight of the Lasallians, whose cheers drowned out the Blue Eagle Gym in a deafening echo, as DLSU walked away with the victory, 92-80.
DLSU Assistant Coach Oliver Bunyi emphasized the second half’s high-octane three point barrage, stating that “It’s like a storm of three-point shots.” However, DLSU employing a zone defense and defensive stalwarts in Agunanne limited UST’s options to only the arc, which led to their demise: “We tried to protect the paint even though they made a lot of outside shots, luckily during the fourth they only made one,” Bunyi highlighted.
With an undefeated stint in Round 2, the DLSU Green Archers look to stack wins as they face rivals ADMU Blue Eagles in their rivalry matchup on Saturday, October 31, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
DLSU – Macalalag 28, Dungo 24, Tovera 15, Abadam 9, Agunanne 6, Marasigan 4, Pablo 3, Amos 3, M. Cortez 0, Gagate 0
UST – Acido 20, Jumawan 18, Llemit 15, Danting 12, Akowe 11, Canete 2, Buenaflor 2, Chio 0, Esteban 0
Quarter Scores: 25-19, 47-44, 67-71, 92-80