Green Archers survive St. Clare, maintain spotless record
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers survived a nail-biting game, 83–74, against the St. Clare College of Caloocan (SCC) Saints (4–2) earlier today, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre. With this victory, the Archers maintain a spotless 9–0 record in the FilOil EcoOil 16th Preseason Cup.
Early in the first quarter, it was clear that the St. Clare Saints had their own big players capable to counter La Salle’s Taft Towers Kevin Quiambao and Michael Phillips. The Green Archers showed off their perimeter defense early on but Ryan Sual converted an early trey to nip at La Salle’s heels, 6–5. Ahron Estacio then seized control for the Saints with a midrange shot, instantly shifting the momentum away from La Salle. From that moment on, the game intensified, the relentless efforts of Kevin Quiambao spearheaded the charge for the Green Archers, while Drick Acosta showcased his long-range shooting prowess. Rasin Kane also proved instrumental in leading the St. Clare Saints, but Earl Abadam narrowed the gap to a mere two points, 18–20, with a pair of free throws.
The second quarter was a battle of treys with Quiambao sinking the first one for La Salle but the Saints quickly snagged the lead with a Babacar Ndong trey, 25–21. The Taft-based squad struggled to take control throughout the quarter, with the opponents sinking buckets here and there. VJ David’s strong defense for La Salle wasn’t enough, especially with several fouls called against the guys in green, resulting in costly turnovers. With team captain Evan Nelle missing in today’s game, it was Mark Nonoy’s time to shine as he converted consecutive threes to level the game at 32-all but Acosta answered with a trey of his own for the St. Clare Saints. With one minute left on the clock, David converted a trey for La Salle, 40–38, disrupting the Saints’ anticipated lead.
Quiambao and Nonoy pulled the team ahead during the third quarter but the Saints exhibited tenacious defense. Despite their efforts, Ndong from the opposing team managed to convert back-to-back baskets, resulting in another deadlock at 42-all. In a heated turn of events, coach Topex Robinson was forced out of the game during the quarter while passionately defending Penny Estacio’s case. After losing the presence of their head coach, Nonoy then sparked a revenge play against Sual with less than three minutes on the clock, 54–53. Austria then leveled the game at 57-all to end the third quarter.
Coming into the last quarter, the giants from both teams battled for the lead, with Sual insistent on keeping the Green Archers at bay while Mike Phillips countered with a point of his own to pull the team ahead, 61–60. Phillips later sent Ndong to the bench with five fouls and converted free buckets for a three-point cushion, 65–62. This sparked another Quiambao scoring spree, who consistently slipped through the defense of St. Clare, 67–62. Meanwhile, Jonnel Policarpio’s two consecutive treys and a free bucket extended the lead to 78–72. Quiambao’s two free buckets were the final blow by La Salle despite Sual’s final layup of the game, 83–74, ending the match with another win for the Green & White.
In the absence of team captain Nelle, Nonoy and Quiambao were La Salle’s top scorers for today’s game with 22 points and 17 points respectively.
The Green Archers will look to move onto the Quarterfinals on June 16, Friday, 4PM, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
Box scores:
DLSU 83 — Nonoy 22, Quiambao 17, David 9, Policarpio 9, Phillips, M. 7, Abadam 6, Cortez 4, Manuel 2, Escandor 2, Nwankwo 2, Gollena 2, Austria 1, Estacio 0, Phillips B. 0
SCC 74 — Galang 17, Sual 13, Acosta 12, Estacio 10, Kane 10, Ndong 7, Tapenio 3, Victoriano 2, Decino 0, Angeles 0
Quarter scores: 18–20, 40–38, 57–57, 83–74
