Archers rip Maroons; Tigers trim Warriors

JAN MACASAET and the Tigers send Andrey Armenion and the Warriors crashing to their second straight loss. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

No amount of collective strength from UP could suppress the superior athletic ability of Ben Mbala.

The prized De La Salle University recruit unleashed the full might of his arsenal as the Green Archers forged a ruthless 89-71 runaway victory over the Maroons last night in UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Mbala, a 6-foot-7 blend of size and power, was simply unstoppable with 30 points and 14 rebounds in their second straight win of the season.

“It’s still a work in progress. There’s still room for improvement,” said Mbala.

Mbala’s dominating play completely overshadowed the career game of Henri Subido, the diminutive University of Santo Tomas guard who torched the nets with 26 points as the Tigers pipped the University of the East Warriors, 88-87.

UST evened out its record to 1-1 while UE joined UP at 0-2.

Abu Tratter and Jeron Teng contributed 12 points each while sophomore Jollo Go had 11 after swishing three pointers during La Salle’s wildrun that turned a 47-40 lead to a 24-point blowout late in the third.

The Maroons, who could only watch Mbala in awe as he displayed his variety of dunks, got 21 points from Paul Desiderio.

Applying a chaotic defensive pressure on UP, the Green Archers forced their rivals into committing 34 turnovers, which they converted into 34 points.

“We just played our game, especially on defense. But we still have to work hard in terms of finishing games,” said La Salle coach Aldin Ayo.

The Tigers, meanwhile, stormed back from a 15-point hole with Subido, who fired four threes on the way to a nine-of-16 field-goal shooting, doing most of the heavy lifting.

“I knew it was coming. I saw it in practice and even during tuneup games,” said UST coach Boy Sablan after the Tigers bounced back from a disappointing defeat against Ateneo during the opener.

“Something good will happen to him (Subido) this year.”

The third-year playmaker sparked his scoring binge in the second half with a rare four-point play followed by a step-back jumper that finally brought the Tigers out of the hole and into a five-point lead going into the fourth.

“I wasn’t expecting a breakout game. I just play hard whenever I’m on the floor,” said Subido.

Back-to-back threes by Subido pushed them up, 78-66, early in the fourth, but the Warriors weren’t about to give up the fight.

Alvin Pasaol and Nick Abanto took charge of UE’s comeback before Mark Olayon nailed a triple to put the Warriors within three.

The scores:

First Game

UST 88—Subido 26, Sheriff 15, Lee 14, Vigil 10, Macasaet 8, Basibas 4, Faundo 4, Lao 3, Bonleon 2, De Guzman 2, Afoakwah 0, Huang 0.

UE 87—Abanto 15, Batiller 15, Olayon 14, Palma 10, Pasaol 8, Bartolome 6, De Leon 4, Charcos 4, Manalang 4, Varilla 3, Armenion 2, Gagate 2, Derige 0, Larupay 0, Penuela 0.

Quarters: 16-24, 39-47, 69-64, 88-87

DLSU 89—Mbala 30, Tratter 12, Teng 12, Go 11, Montalbo 9, Torres 8, Caracut 3, Sargent 2, Rivero 2, Baltazar 0, Melecio 0, Rivero 0, Dyke 0, Paraiso 0.

UP 71—Desiderio 21, Manuel 13, Harris 8, Dario 8, Vito 5, Webb 4, Lim 4, Romero 2, Gomez de Liano 2, Jaboneta 2, Lao 2, Asilum 0, Prado 0, Longa 0, Moralde 0.

Quarters: 31-19, 43-34, 76-52, 89-71