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La Salle absorbs a huge 27-7 UP comeback run — all after leading by as many as 20 points — but the Green Archers eventually still pull away with a double-digit finish to take first place at the end of the UAAP Season 87 first round
MANILA, Philippines – The La Salle Green Archers drove home a hard-hitting statement to end the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball first round, routing the once-undefeated UP Fighting Maroons, 68-56, at the packed Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, October 6.
With the win, the defending champions rose to a 6-1 slate to end the first round with their third straight victory, earning a first-place tiebreaker over a UP side now holding the same record.
Reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao offset a 6-of-18 shooting night with a full stat line of 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, while Joshua David provided ample support with 14 points on a 4-of-7 clip from three.
From down 20, 35-15, after a Lian Ramiro corner three at the 4:13 mark of the second quarter, UP then copied its script against Adamson (69-57), exploding with a 27-7 run bridging the middle two frames to force a 42-all tie off a Harold Alarcon layup at the 2:31 mark of the third.
The Archers, however, showed why they are truly different from the rest of the league, as they rebounded well when all the chips were down in the fourth with a crucial 7-0 spurt off a small 55-51 lead, ending with a JC Macalalag three, 62-51, with 5:35 to play.
UP only got as near as 9, 53-62, off a Francis Lopez layup before Quiambao and David slammed the comeback door for good, drilling a pair of threes at the 3:45 and 52-second mark to put the game away at 68-54.
“We’re just very happy on how things turned out. We know it’s gonna be a grind-out game. We know it’s gonna be a game of turns. We were able to weather the storm, so to speak,” La Salle assistant coach Gian Nazario said after the game.
“We knew what UP can do and is capable of doing. We’re just happy the players responded.”
Alarcon paced the loss with 19 points, 12 coming in UP’s third-quarter comeback rally alone.
Consistent anchor Quentin Millora-Brown added a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double with 4 blocks as the Maroons badly missed the backcourt services of injured floor general JD Cagulangan and backup Janjan Felicilda, who sprained his left ankle in the second quarter and only played sparingly since.
Both squads return to action next weekend, either on Saturday, October 12, or Sunday, October 13.
The Scores
La Salle 68 – Quiambao 20, David 14, Macalalag 7, Abadam 5, Ramiro 5, Marasigan 5, Phillips 4, Gollena 4, Austria 2, Agunanne 2, Gonzales 0.
UP 56 – Alarcon 19, Millora-Brown 10, Lopez 8, Torres 6, Fortea 5, Belmonte 5, Abadiano 2, Bayla 1, Felicilda 0, Torculas 0, Stevens 0, Ududo 0.
Quarters: 19-13, 38-25, 51-46, 68-56.
– Rappler.com
