La Salle’s Benjamin Philips III (right) wins out in this frenzied battle for possession with Far Eastern’s Cholo Añonuevo. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
La Salle got double-doubles from its 1-2 punch Sunday afternoon for an 87-76 win over Far Eastern as the Green Archers primed themselves up for an early titanic clash with a hated UAAP men’s basketball rival.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of hype, a lot of stories behind this. But at the end of the day, Ateneo’s a worthy rival,” Topex Robinson said when asked of their 6 p.m. clash with the Blue Eagles also at Mall of Asia Arena Wednesday, more so after the defending champions were bamboozled by National U in the inaugurals Saturday.
“Coach Tab is a worthy rival, we’ll always compete against each other and again, it’s just an opportunity for me to get better while also learning from (clashing with) coach Tab and Ateneo,” the rookie La Salle coach added.
“But one thing’s for sure, it’s gonna be an exciting game and I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
While Robinson is excited looking at the rest of the week, he was just grateful that he got a winning debut out of the way and please the La Salle faithful.
“It’s really a surreal feeling finally coaching here in the UAAP, especially for DLSU. I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to be here with these fine gentlemen here,” Robinson said.
“It’s so nice to see the fans cheer for us. I mean, we’re just so grateful to have a group of supporters that really will love you and will hate you at the same time and that’s part of it,” Robinson said. “I mean, pressure is always gonna be a privilege.”
Near triple-double
Evan Nelle missed a triple double by just two rebounds after shooting 15 points and handing out 12 assists, while Kevin Quiambao 14 points and 14 rebounds in the Archers’ impressive start.
Quiambao, the Season 85 Rookie of the Year, came to Ateneo’s rescue with his brilliant playmaking, dishing a flashy bounce pass that led to CJ Austria’s smooth layup before a lob that was Mike Phillips finished with a slam for an 86-73 lead with 52.2 second left.
Xyrun Torres led the Tamaraws with 19 points and was instrumental in helping Far Eastern come back from a 20-point deficit and make it close at the end.