NO MAS
It was no contest. Ateneo’s squad—and, for that matter, their crowd—were no-shows in what turned out to be an 80-65 Green Archer beating up the Eagles black and blue at the MOA Arena.
The Green Archers was in full control of the game from the tip-off. Right after JC Macalalag ripped through the Ateneo defense and scooped a twinner, the greens kept the score out of reach with a double-digit distance for most of the night and expanded the lead to 18 at one point.
Ateneo managed a spark of hope, cutting the lead to nine, 73-64, with 3:47 left. But that flicker quickly washed out when Kevin Quiambao crushed their momentum with an emphatic slam off a Mike Philips assist, pushing the lead back to ten and dimming any last hopes of a comeback.
Quiambao was untouchable and unstoppable, torching the Eagles for a massive 33 points and 13 boards. KQ’s 45-caliber shooting was red-hot, hitting 45% from the field and a deadly 45% from beyond the arc.
La Salle didn’t wait to warm up. Josh David, EJ Gollena, and KQ kicked off the fireworks with an avalanche of three-pointers, setting the tone for the Archers’ quick 15-4 lead.
Quiambao was a superhero from the start, fueling an early surge that left Ateneo sputtering. Even when blue-biased calls shackled Mike Philips with three fouls in the first quarter, Quiambao took charge and skippered La Salle to a solid 30-18 lead midway through the second quarter.
As the third quarter rolled in, the Green Archers gained more mojos. Despite the margin being cut to seven, 48-41, KQ, super rookie Vhoris Marasigan, and Raven Gonzales combined for a rally-killing 8-0 run to bring the Archers to a more comfy 56-41 lead.
La Salle unleashed a dominant stretch that ballooned their lead 63-48 at the end of the third and stumped the Eagles in the fourth by building a 72-54 gap, effectively locking the game down with seven minutes to go.
It was all over but the shouting—and from the looks of it, also for the small fights for the small blue crowd at the MOA.
The Green Archers will have a lengthy break and will see action again on November 6 against FEU at the MOA.
ANIMO LA SALLE!
The boxscores
DLSU (80) – Quiambao 33, David 9, Gollena 9, Austria 7, Marasigan 7, Macalalag 5, M. Phillips 4, Ramiro 3, Gonzales 2, Dungo 1, Agunanne 0.
Ateneo (65) – Bahay 22, Koon 9, Porter 8, Tuano 8, Espinosa 6, Lazaro 6, Quitevis 5, Bongo 1, Balogun 0, Ong 0, Gamber 0, Espina 0.
Quarterscores: 17-11, 42-33, 63-48, 80-65
