Sometimes, it is just not your afternoon.
Di mo talaga araw
The Green Archers barged into this crucial match, feeling too much pressure on their shoulders.
Free throws, missed. (20 of 36)
Point-blank shots, overshot.
As a result, La Salle bowed to the league-leading National U 75-67 in a highly physical grand battle for the league leadership.
La Salle tried to turn the game around, slashing the lead to 59–63 early in the fourth.
But NU stayed too steady—calm, patient, always finding the open Bulldog.
And that’s where La Salle lost it.
Shot creation dried up with the National U defense virtually taking away every single offensive option the Archers have been playing for the last two games.
The open looks vanished, the driving lanes barricaded.
The Archers missed point-blank shots they’d normally finish in their sleep.
With 2:39 to go, it was 69–64, and hope still flickered. But NU broke through again—another layup, another dagger—to make it 74–67 with 46 seconds left. Missed free throws down the stretch didn’t help, and as the clock bled out, so did the comeback. 75–67, final.
The second quarter was where it started to slip. NU unleashed a 21–8 blast that turned a tight contest into a scramble. La Salle actually led 32–31 with six minutes to go before the Bulldogs locked in, turning patient possessions into clean buckets.
The lead swelled to 38–31 before Mike Phillips finally stopped the bleeding with a fastbreak and-one.
Still, NU kept answering.
Two straight makes pushed it to 43–34, then 47–34, as La Salle’s offense just couldn’t buy a shot. Abadam and Luis Pablo tried to claw it back to 48–38, but by halftime, NU was in firm control, 50–38.
Earl Abadam came out of halftime still firing—starting the third with a triple that cut it to 50–41. JC Macalalag added a fastbreak finish to make it 52–43, but it felt like Abadam was the only Archer finding the mark. Another jumper, another drive, and he singlehandedly kept the game alive. Luis Pablo powered through for two inside, 55–49, but NU had answers ready. Back to 57–49. Pablo and Phillips earned free throws to close the quarter at 61–54—La Salle within reach, but still chasing.
The Archers relentlessly fought.
They always do.
But this time, fight alone wasn’t enough. NU’s calm execution met La Salle’s chaos, and that was the difference. The arrows were drawn, the heart was there—but they couldn’t hit what they couldn’t find.
La Salle drops to 6-4 in the standings and will meet bitter rival Ateneo next.
ANIMO LA SALLE pa rin
