The DLSU Green Archers conquered the AdU Soaring Falcons with a commanding 84-69 victory to strengthen their Final Four bid in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament earlier today, November 15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Despite an early injury scare, Jacob Cortez showcased a momentous performance, cutting short the Adamsonians’ catch-up play with 15 points and four steals. Luis Pablo trailed closely with 14 points to widen their advantage.
Meanwhile, Ray Allen Torres and Manu Anabo spearheaded the Falcon offense, tallying 14 points each in the valiant effort.
Shifting strategies
The opening saw Cortez brought to his knees after spiking pain caused the guard to sub out only two minutes past the tip-off, 4-2. The Green Archers were unshaken, as their contactless offense brought the lead by avoiding aggressive paint encounters by spacing out the perimeter to find openings. The Green-and-White’s exceptional ball movement dazed the Adamson defense. Fans then roared in anticipation as Cortez made his momentous return, intercepting incoming Falcon charges. AdU grew eager to breach into the low posts and corners; however, their attempts were short-lived as DLSU’s defenders packed around. With two minutes left, Mason Amos and Pablo made their final salvos on the high posts; meanwhile, the blue shirts struggled to score, relying on last-second corner shots as DLSU led, 25-15.
With pressure on both sides, the second quarter opened scoreless. DLSU maintained defense on low posts, while the Falcons grew aggressive from beyond the arc. Amos ended the drought at the eighth minute, stitching a dual layup streak followed by a three-pointer. La Salle built upon their advantage through a big-man-oriented offense, 36-22. AdU found their strategy unfruitful and went back to the perimeter as Torres and Allen Perez led the Falcons’ catch-up attempt; however, the Lasallians persisted in their dominance. Seven Gagate subbed for Amos as their big man on the low posts, proving nimble against attackers. Stringing together five consecutive buckets to finish the quarter, Cortez and Earl Abadam capped off the first half at 48-26, dually intercepting the Adamsonians’ charge before any shot could be made.
Making strides
Moving into the second half, the Green Archers continued their red-hot momentum as Joaquin Tovera powered through the defense with back-to-back jumpers to open the third, 52-29. Following a back-and-forth sequence, the Taft-based squad fell behind defensively as Torres and Anabo sank two consecutive threes to keep their offense alive, 54-38. In response, the Lasallian defense pressured the Falcons’ offense, forcing them turnovers. The Green Archer triad of JC Macalalag, Cortez, and Pablo kept up the pace, attacking the paint and adding to La Salle’s offensive bag of tricks, keeping the Ermita-based squad on their toes. Closing out the third quarter, Cortez and Henry Agunanne set the tempo once more with crucial shots as the Green-and-White kept the Falcons busy with a 19-point cushion heading into the fourth, 69-50.
Seeking to close out dominantly, Macalalag opened the fourth by attacking the basket with a jumper and draining a three-pointer through a getaway dish from Tovera, 74-53. Even when the Falcons were slowly closing the gap for a potential late-game comeback, the Taft-based squad refused to let up, battling in the post and powering through the paint. Capitalizing on Adamson’s defensive errors, Agunanne broke through the defenders and went for a reverse-finish fresh off a Macalalag dish. This was followed by another two points off a goal-tending error, adding salt to the wound for the Falcons as the momentum shifted towards La Salle, 78-58. With the battle of Taft coming to an end, the Green-and-White lived to fight another day, clipping the wings of the AdU Soaring Falcons, 84-69.
After boosting their record to 7-5 and further closing in on their Final Four aspirations, Assistant Coach Oliver Bunyi reflected on the Green-and-White’s paint dominance, naming the significance of their 24 offensive rebounds as “second chance points” that lengthened the gap.
He commends his players for remaining vigilant in their commitment to their defensive strategy, highlighting the squad’s capability: “During halftime, we reminded the players that we should be vigilant because their main scorers were not able to score in the first half.” He recalls his players promising they would continue pressuring Adamson’s key players.
Player of the Game Cortez highlighted his early substitution due to his injury. “Thanks to Coach Jelo and conditioning, I’m back at 100 percent–I was able to finish today’s game, thank God. And not only just me, but we’re gonna get our guys ready for our big fight against UP next week.”
Moving forward from the victory, the defending champions look to keep their winning formula and improve their standing as they prepare to take on the UP Fighting Maroons on Sunday, November 22, at 6 pm at the same venue.