Green Archers snap five-year losing skid to Ateneo
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers shot down longtime rivals the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles, 83–78, to claim their second UAAP Season 85 Men’s Basketball victory.
A win five years in the making, it marked the first time La Salle triumphed over the Blue Eagles since Game 2 of the Season 80 Finals.
Schonny Winston was an unstoppable force and logged 25 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals, all of which earned him the Player of the Game Award. Evan Nelle may not have hogged the spotlight, but he shined bright when La Salle needed him most as his two free throws effectively sealed the W.
Michael Phillips won the opening tip and CJ Austria scored the first point of the game with a free throw. DLSU had the momentum early and extended their lead to 6–2 following a Ben Phillips triple, but Ateneo kept it close and eventually overtook the Green Archers for an 11–8 advantage. Back-to-back three-pointers from Austria and B. Phillips swung the game back in La Salle’s favor, however Ateneo dominated from that point on and embarked on a 13-point run to bring their lead to double-digits. Turnovers and fouls plagued both sides towards the end of the first as Ateneo maintained their ten-point advantage, 28–18.
The Green Archers came out of the break firing on all cylinders and completely erased the Katipunan-based squad’s lead with 13 unanswered points. Nelle, Kevin Quiambao, Raven Cortez, and EJ Abadam gave La Salle a 31–28 lead, which forced Ateneo to call a timeout. Full-court defense was the name of the game in the second as neither team gave the other even a moment to regroup. The Blue Eagles pulled ahead once again with a 42–35 scoreline, but DLSU bounced back in the dying embers of the quarter and entered halftime only down by one, 46–47.
Ateneo held onto and even extended their advantage to open the third frame, but a flurry of shots from Winston kept the Blue Eagles’ advantage small as DLSU levelled the game up at 58–apiece. Similar to the first period, turnovers were a problem for both sides which led to the third being lowest-scoring quarter of the game. With all the momentum seemingly in the Blue-and-White’s favor, La Salle caught up and overtook them for the lead, 64–62, ahead of the final quarter.
Nelle, who had been relatively silent in the first 30 minutes, kickstarted the final frame with authority and drained a deep three-pointer and a deuce in successive possessions. The Green Archers never slowed down and turned their excellent defense into rapid-fire fast breaks. Time was winding down, but La Salle’s heart and hustle was on full display as the team kept fighting for every steal, rebound, and block over Ateneo’s players. DLSU maintained a 77–73 lead at the two-minute warning and Winston, who had already played his heart out the entire game, came up clutch once again to bring La Salle up, 81–76. The Blue Eagles had time on the clock to make something happen, but an airball from Dave Ildefonso and a crucial missed jumper by Rence Padrigao put the game firmly in DLSU’s hands with seven seconds to go. Nelle put the final nail in Ateneo’s coffin as he scored the game’s last two points to give La Salle their first win over ADMU in five years.
Box Scores:
DLSU 83— Winston 25, Nelle 10, Cortez 8, Quiambao 7, Abadam 7, M. Phillips 6, Austria 6, B. Phillips 6, Estacio 5, Nwankwo 3
Ateneo 78— Kouame 22, Ballungay 19, Andrade 8, Ildefonso 7, Padrigao 7, Gomez 5, Lazaro 4, Garcia 3, Chiu 2, Koon 1
Quarterscores: 18–28, 46–47, 64–62, 83–78
