WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF THE CARDIAC ARCHERS.
Once again, for a game that the UAAP world expected to be a cakewalk, the DLSU Green Archers escaped the aggressive horns of the winless FEU Tamaraws, 68-61, at the Big Dome.
It was much closer than what we all wanted.
After a shocking loss to the UE Red Warriors last Sunday, La Salle faced a much closer contest than expected against the winless Tamaraws, who gave the defending champions all they could handle.
The Green Archers looked ready to cruise after building a 13-point lead early in the third quarter, 45-32, and appeared to be on the way to breaking the game open. But FEU knew how to troll a team like La Salle and mounted a fierce rally and even grabbed their first sniff of the lead, 55-56, at the start of the fourth quarter on a Miguel Ona putback.
But this time, instead of folding, La Salle made a strong pushback. Behind the balanced combination of Mike Phillips, Henry Agunanne, and EJ Gollena, the Green Archers regained control late and made a 12-4 game-salvaging run, sealing a win that moved them to solo second in the standings at 4-1.
Head coach Topex Robinson reflected on the victory with a measured perspective. “It’s just another challenging opportunity for us. I told them, can I go back to our UE game? UE didn’t upset us—they really deserved the win,” Robinson said. “We don’t consider it an upset. What UE gave us was something valuable. It kind of took the pressure off us to stay unbeaten. It grounded us and reminded us that this season will be hard, as we saw today against FEU.”
Late-Game Heroics Lead the Way
Mike Phillips scored six of his 13 points in the final six minutes to lead La Salle’s fastest five to a 12-4 run that saved the day. With the game under dangerous waters at 55-56 with FEU seizing the lead and the momentum, it was reliving the Sunday UE nightmare.
But Phillips would not have any part of it.
Recovering off his own miss, Motor Mike motored up for a slam to start the 12-4 run. KQ then made a couple of spectacular feeds to Earl Abadam for a contested midrange J and to Phillips and sandwiched an Agunanne two to push La Salle to a five-point lead, 65-60 with 2:15 to go.
A couple of Phillips freethrows sealed La Salle’s 4th win in Season 87.
Motor Mike also dominated the glass with 14 rebounds and added two blocks, anchoring the Green Archers’ defense. Kevin Quiambao flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, while also recording three steals.
Meanwhile, Earl Abadam and Henry Agunanne chipped in nine points each, contributing to La Salle’s balanced offensive attack.
FEU’s was Physical
Despite the loss, FEU’s performance was far from that of a winless team. Rookie guard RJ Pasaol led the Tamaraws with 13 points, but his eight turnovers proved costly. Gambian center Mo Konateh was a force inside, grabbing 25 rebounds with 12 points and four blocks, but Konateh’s lane domination was not enough to lift FEU to their first win.
However, it was not the scoring that brought them back to the game. It was the Morayta brand of physicality, shackling La Salle dribble drives and converting it on transition.
As Veejay Pre and Jorick Bautista combined for just 15-of-37 shooting, with 11 and nine points, respectively, FEU struggled with shooting efficiency. Their inefficiency from the field ultimately hampered the Tamaraws’ comeback attempt.
What’s Next for the Archers?
With the victory, La Salle will aim to build momentum and create a new winning streak as they take on the University of Santo Tomas on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
ANIMO LA SALLE!
