This must have been one of the most satisfying wins for the DLSU Green Archers so far this season.
The reigning UAAP champion Green Archers put together a gritty third quarter run to take a 77-68 win against the UE Red Warriors, the only team that beat them in the first round.
Mike Phillips played a crucial role in keeping DLSU competitive early on, putting up 20 of his career-high 27 points in the first half. The 22-year-old center, who is third in the league’s statistical race, solidified his standing with another all-around performance as he complimented his prolific scoring night with 17 rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks.
However, it was in the third quarter when the momentum of the match ultimately shifted in the Green Archers’ favor. Reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player Kevin Quiambao and JC Macalalag led the charge, combining for 14 points in the period. Quiambao was apparently battling the flu and went scoreless in the first half, yet stepped up with five points in DLSU’s 10-0 run that gave them the lead for good, 61-52, late in the third quarter.
The Green Archers never let UE get closer than five points for the rest of the contest, ultimately securing a hard-fought nine-point victory.
Quiambao wound up finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a block in 25 minutes where he was still a team-best +13 during his time on the court despite not being at full strength. Macalalag continued his recent string of strong performances with 10 points while rookie Vhoris Marasigan added nine off the bench.
The win could not have come at a better time for La Salle and their head coach Topex Robinson who went through a tumultuous week of extra curricular activities. After punctuating the first round with an impressive win against the UP Fighting Maroons last week, DLSU did not get a chance to bask in their glory as Robinson went under fire on social media.
UP forward Reyland Torres accused Robinson of spitting on him during the game and the Fighting Maroons’ fans unleashed an online firestorm. The league ultimately determined that the evidence put forward by UP was inconclusive, giving the Green Archers’ 49-year-old head coach and Torres just a stern warning for their brief exchange of words at the La Salle bench.
In the post-game press conference following their win versus UE, Robinson also addressed the untoward incident that he had with a supporter of the Fighting Maroons who accosted him as he was leaving the arena last week.
The win not only helped DLSU move on from the week’s chaos, but it also allowed them to exact revenge on the Red Warriors whose five-game winning streak was put to an end. La Salle now has the league’s longest active streak of victories at four and they improved their league-leading record to 7-1.
What’s encouraging about the Green Archers’ recent wins is that they have not relied entirely on Quiambao and Phillips. Their supporting cast–Macalalag, Marasigan, Josh David, Lian Ramiro, Earl Abadam, and EJ Gollena–have embraced their roles and it has only made them an even deadlier team.
It is undisputed that the road to the UAAP championship this season goes through Taft Avenue, but in a league that is as unpredictable as this one, there is still a long way to go before this La Salle team can entertain any thoughts of winning the school’s first back-to-back championships since 2001.
