MANILA, Philippines—De La Salle University bucked an abysmal third-quarter showing to pummel a dwindling National University, 74-63, Thursday in the 74th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
After a hot start totaling 59 points in the first half alone, the Green Archers abruptly lost steam and were transfixed for a good 10 minutes and missed all of their 15 field goal attempts.
But four unanswered points from sophomore Oda Tampus stirred La Salle out of a scoreless nightmare and brought the lead back to double digits, 65-54, with 5:22 left in the game.
Fiery guard L.A. Revilla, followed through with another basket, which smashed any hopes of a comeback for the Bulldogs en route to the Green Archers’ second victory with a pair of setbacks.
“We relaxed on that part. It showed that we cannot afford to,” said the comebacking Revilla, who once again delivered an astonishing performance for La Salle.
“But at the same time it showed that we didn’t give up,” Revilla added.
Revilla finished with 19 points, five rebounds and six steals while Tampus added 10 points.
La Salle, whose two points in the third period were free throws from Luigi De la Paz and Yutien Andrada with 5:46 in the clock, tied Ateneo in the lowest points scored in a quarter.
But if not for second-half plummeting, it was a total domination from the get-go for the Green Archers as they led by as many as 23 points at halftime, 59-36, also on Revilla’s efforts.
Despite the golden shot to take over the game, Bulldogs couldn’t get any closer than seven points in their run, 61-54, after an unlikely jumper by Cameroonian Emmanuel Mbe in the fourth.
It was only veteran Glenn Khobuntin who pounced on the opportunity in the third quarter by punching in 10 of NU’s 13 points for a game-high 21 markers.
Heralded newcomer Bobby Ray Parks Jr., who is leading the league in scoring with 19 points in average so far, again had a sub-par execution with 13 points but with only five points the entire second half.
The rebuilding Bulldogs dropped their fourth match in five games even in the hopes of finally making it to the final four this season.