La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — La Salle leaned on Kevin Quiambao’s triple-double and Mark Nonoy’s 25-point explosion to beat University of the East, 86-76, and extend its winning streak to six games in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Quiambao registered his second triple-double this season with 17 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists. The MVP frontrunner became the first player in UAAP men’s basketball to tally two triple-doubles in a season in the Final Four era.
“For me sobrang thankful and blessed na makakuha ako ng personal achievement pero yun nga lagi kong sinasabi yung goal namin is to win the championship and compete at the highest level,” said Quiambao, who also had four steals and two blocks, crediting his stellar performance anew to his teammates and coach Topex Robinson.
Nonoy fired seven three-pointers to finish with 25 points to keep the Green Archers in contention for a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four with a 9-3 record behind joint leaders University of the Philippines and National University, who are tied at 10-2.
Holding a one-point lead heading to the fourth, Nonoy capped a 13-0 run with a booming trey from Quiambao’s pass as La Salle pulled away, 77-63, with 4:48 left.
La Salle guard Mark Nonoy.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Noy Remogat scored seven straight points to cut it down to seven, 77-70. But Quiambao hit back-to-back triples to keep UE at bay, 83-72, with 29.8 seconds left before Nonoy hit his seventh three-pointer.
“I’m just so grateful and blessed to be here again getting this win against UE. I just have to commend the guys who really stepped up in this game. Guys were just really having fun and just trying to really be disciplined in what we want to achieve as a team,” said Robinson. “We talked about pursuing the moment. We just reminded everybody not to let this day pass by not making an impact or not being an inspiration to others. These guys just stepped up to the challenge of that.”
Raven Cortez was also instrumental with 11 points in 14 minutes of playing time. Jonnel Policarpio returned to action with nine points, while Evan Nelle had seven points and 11 assists.
The Red Warriors fell to the brink of elimination with a 4-8 record, needing to win their last three games.
Remogat led UE with 22 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, and three steals. Precious Momowei dropped 21 points, 11 rebounds, and three steals, while Abdul Sawat added 18 points in their second straight loss.
The Scores:
DLSU (86) – Nonoy 25, Quiambao 17, Cortez 11, Policarpio 9, Nelle 7, Austria 6, Escandor 6, Abadam 3, Nwankwo 2, David 0, M. Phillips 0, B. Phillips 0, Macalalag 0, Manuel 0.
UE (76) – Remogat 22, Momowei 21, Sawat 18, Lingolingo 6, Maglupay 4, Cruz-Dumont 3, Tulabut 2, Galang 0.
Quarterscores: 15-15, 49-38, 64-63, 86-76