Archers score yawner, this time vs Warriors
La Salle’s Ben Mbala. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
La Salle is practically taking all of the drama out of its games in the UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball wars.
And with two games remaining prior to the playoffs, the unbeaten Green Archers have no intention of changing the script at all.
“Our level of play has been steadily improving, but there are some aspects that we still need to work on,” said La Salle coach Aldin Ayo after the Green Archers scored their third straight lopsided victory at the expense of the UE Warriors, 95-66, at Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
Ben Mbala again spearheaded the La Salle rout with 26 points and 20 rebounds, 11 of them offensive boards, and team captain Jeron Teng had 10 of his 20 points in a third-quarter breakaway rush in the Archers’ 12th consecutive triumph.
“Right now, I can say we’re playing as a team. We’re sharing the ball better and my players are getting more matured,” said Ayo.
Peaking at the right time, the Archers once again showed how powerful they can be after clobbering the Warriors off the boards with a 71-34 margin on rebounds, figures that succinctly described La Salle’s dominating character.
They’ll play archnemesis Ateneo next and wrap up the eliminations against defending champion FEU. Hurdling these teams would shove the Archers straight to the best-of-three championship series.
“The thought of a potential sweep is beginning to cross my mind,” said Ayo. “But the pressure is building and we can never be complacent.”
As for the Warriors, who got 17 points from Alvin Pasaol, their ninth defeat in 11 games has put them out of the running in the Final Four race.
The UP Fighting Maroons kept their Final Four aspirations on the upswing after dealing the NU Bulldogs their sixth straight defeat with a come-from-behind 71-66 triumph in the other game.
The Maroons notched their fourth win of the season, the first time they’ve won more than three games since Season 69 a decade ago.
“It’s one of our goals before the season began,” said UP coach Bo Perasol. “We’re not even thinking of the Final Four, we’re just happy that we’ve exceeded the team’s number of victories last year.”
SCORES:
GAME 1: LA SALLE 95 – UE 66
LA SALLE 95—Mbala 26, Teng 20, Torres 11, Melecio 9, Perkins 7, Tratter 6, R. Rivero 5, P. Rivero 5, Sargent 4, Baltazar 2, Caracut 0, Dyke 0, Paraiso 0, Montalbo 0.
UE 66—Pasaol 17, Bartolome 9, Derige 9, Abanto 6, Varilla 5, Charcos 4, Gagate 4, Manalang 2, Olayon 2, Armenion 0, De Leon 0, Palma 0.
Quarters: 24-15, 37-27, 70-48, 95-66
GAME 2: UP 71 – National U 66
UP 71—Manuel 19, Vito 15, De Liano 13, Desiderio 11, Moralde 6, Jaboneta 3, Dario 2, Webb 2, Asilum 0, Espanola 0, Harris 0, Lao 0, Lim 0, Longa 0, Prado 0, Romero 0.
NU 66—Alejandro 23, Salem 12, Diputado 7, Pate 5, Gallego 4, Morido 4, M. Diputado 3, Go 3, Salim 3, Aroga 2, Abatayo 0, Mosqueda 0.
Quarters: 12-21, 29-31, 45-41, 71-66
