Green Archers seal dominant victory over UST
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers (5–1) earned a hard-fought victory against the resilient University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers (3–2), 88–67, in an intense matchup for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Men’s Basketball earlier today at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
To kick off the game, the Tigers secured the first possession, but Henry Agunanne quickly responded with an easy jumper, narrowing the score to 3–2 in favor of DLSU. Isaac Danting then stepped up for UST with a smooth layup plus a foul, and with 8:20 on the clock, Danting and Christian Manaytay launched consecutive three-pointers to build momentum for the boys from España. Four minutes in, the Archers attempted to regain control with Lian Ramiro, Earl Abadam, and JC Macalalag trying to score on mid-range jumpers, but Mohamed Tounkaka cut through the Taft defense and extended UST’s lead to 8–16. Eventually, the dynamic duo of Kevin Quiambao and Abadam came alive, sinking a combination of three-pointers and jumpers to close the gap to just five, 13–18. With free throws by Andrei Dungo, the Archers ended the first quarter ahead by a single point, 19–18.
Entering the second quarter, Vhoris Marasigan’s easy layup off the backboard continued La Salle’s momentum, and Raven Gonzales also joined in the scoring spree with an assist from Quiambao at the 8:32 mark, bringing the score to 23–20. Forthsky Padrigao quickly tied the game at 23-all after drawing a foul from Ramiro, and Nic Cabañero followed through with a straightforward layup, to which Quiambao responded back with a trey of his own, brining the score to 26–27. With three minutes remaining, the Archers’ offense surged, as Marasigan weaved through two UST defenders, pushing La Salle ahead by four, 33–29. As time wound down, both teams displayed sluggish defense and offense, even amidst the heightened intensity of the game, and the second half concluded with La Salle holding a narrow lead at 36–30.
After halftime, Gonzales quickly found the board, scoring the first few points for La Salle, while the team’s defense held strong with multiple blocks. The Growling Tigers had a slow start, trailing 39–31 at the 8:26 mark in the half. Meanwhile, Mike Phillips stepped up with creative plays, pushing through and testing the Tigers’ defense. With 6:12 remaining, the Tigers continued to struggle offensively, falling 13 points behind, and a three-pointer by Marasigan gave the Archers even more momentum, stretching La Salle’s lead to 54–42. Despite some three-pointers from the Tigers, the Taft-based squad kept up the pressure and eventually ended the third quarter ahead, 61–52.
Looking to end things early, EJ Gollena and Macalalag drained a three-pointer to set the tone for the final quarter. With 7:16 remaining, Joshua David sank an easy jumper, extending their lead to 17 points, 69–52, before Macalalag added three more points shortly after. Despite this, the Growling Tigers responded with back-to-back threes from Amiel Acido and Padrigao, trimming the lead to 74–60. But with just 2:30 remaining in the game, Alex Konov stepped onto the court and quickly made an impact with a three-pointer, which was soon followed by another impressive shot from Marasigan that solidified their victory with a final score of 88–67.
The DLSU Green Archers are set to close out the first round of UAAP Season 87 with a highly anticipated matchup against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons on Sunday, October 6, at 6:30 PM, at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
Quarter Scores: 19–18, 36–30, 61–52, 88–67
Box Scores:
DLSU (88) — Phillips 12, Marasigan 11, Quiambao 10, Gonzales 10, Macalalag 10, Agunanne 7, Austria 6, Gollena 6, Dungo 6, David 4, Abadam 3, Konov 3, Ramiro 0.
UST (67) — Cabañero 16, Padrigao 15, Acido 9, Manaytay 8, Tounkara 5, Llemit 5, Danting 5, Robinson 2, Lane 2, Calum 0, Estacio 0, Paranada 0, Mahmood 0, Crisostomo 0, Pangilinan 0, Laure 0.
