By CARLO ANOLIN
Evan Nelle caught fire from beyond the arc and helped La Salle survive University of the Philippines, 83-80, to force a do-or-die in their semis duel in the UAAP Season 84 Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The 23-year-old court general became a scoring machine for the green and white, posting 26 points on an 8-of-13 shooting built on five three-pointers along with seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals in his first UAAP Final Four appearance.
“The boys really played hard today (Wednesday). The boys played 40 minutes of solid basketball. We played 40 minutes of solid, disciplined basketball today and that’s what I’ve been asking them to do,” said Archers coach Derrick Pumaren.
“We’re proud of the way the guys played today. It was really a team effort. Everybody was on the same page in today’s game and we’re happy that we won the ball game but we just have to realize also that we only just tied the series,” added Pumaren.
The Maroons came into the game armed with a twice-to-beat advantage for finishing No. 2 (12-2) behind Ateneo (13-1).
Nelle was extra hot in the third quarter, sparking a massive assault before returning in the payoff to aid the Archers in averting an embarrassing collapse.
The rubber match is set Friday with momentum definitely on La Salle’s side.
Michael Phillips contributed seven points and 15 rebounds while CJ Austria and Deschon Winston scored seven points apiece as well.
The Maroons were supposed to play with intense fire and passion after an 84-83 win over Ateneo on Sunday, but they played tentatively and fell behind by 22 points in the second quarter.
The Maroons, however, managed to cut La Salle’s lead down to 11 (66-55) after
Carl Tamayo, Zavier Lucero and JD Cagulangan connived in an 11-0 spurt.
But the Archers refused to be cowed as they padded their lead to 16 points – courtesy of Nelle’s three-pointer midway through the payoff period before Ricci Rivero and Gerry Abadiano pumped life for the Fighting Maroons.
UP uncorked a commanding 15-2 run down to the waning seconds as Abadiano fired a booming triple with 13.4 seconds left to make it a one possession ballgame, 81-78.
To the disappointment of UP supporters, Rivero missed back-to-back 3-point attempts before Nelle sealed the deal for La Salle by splitting his two gift shots.
Malick Diouf paced the Maroons with 18 points, 20 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks, while Rivero also finished with 18 points along with five blocks.
The scores:
LA SALLE 83 ˗ Nelle 26, Baltazar 15, Lojera 11, M. Phillips 7, Austria 7, Winston 7, Nwankwo 4, Nonoy 3, Manuel 3, B. Phillips 0.
UP 80 ˗ Diouf 18, Rivero 18, Lucero 17, Tamayo 8, Abadiano 7, Cagulangan 6, Spencer 3, Alarcon 3, Ramos 0, Fortea 0, Webb 0, Lina 0.
Quarters: 24-16, 48-37, 66-55, 83-80.
