By NIKOLE JAVIER
What was expected to be a dogfight turned into a walk in the park for University of the Philippines as the Maroons executed their well-planned defensive scheme to near perfection and scored a masterful 97-67 win over the La Salle Archers at the start of their UAAP Finals on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
It was apparent from the get go of UP’s intent as it methodically destroyed the Archers with its suffocating defense before blowing them into pieces with its long bombs and gutsy inside plays much to the delight of UP community.
And that pushed the Maroons closer to the apex of success, and more than that, the win ended the Archers’ nine-game winning streak.
The first quarter, as expected, was tight although the Maroons appeared to have the upper hand before stepping on the gas pedal harder in the third to rip the game wide apart.
UP’s defense was rock-solid that it limited La Salle’s usual offensive production, especially on runaway MVP Kevin Quiambao.
The 6-foot-7 Quiambao was held to only 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists – a far cry from his elimination round averages of 16.71 points, 10.86 rebounds, and 6.0 assists.
Harold Alarcon was the brightest and hottest on UP’s side with a team-high 21 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting from the inside and 8-of-9 from the free throw area.
Rookie of the Year Francis Lopez, for his part, contributed a huge double-double outing of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Old reliable guys like JD Cagulangan and Gerry Abadiano chipped in 11 and 10 markers, respectively.
Meanwhile, Malick Dioud and Aldous Torculas were equally relentless on their defensive end and grabbed 15 and 10 rebounds to go with nine points each.
CJ Cansino’s last-minute three-pointer in the third quarter gave the Maroons a huge 77-53 advantage.
There was no lack in effort from any Maroon in the fourth quarter as they were dominant through and through.
“I guess ‘yung team really executed the game plan. We just have to sustain this (since) it’s not won in just one game, it’s seroes. We just have to know what to work on and be ready for them in the next game,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Mike Phillips led all scorers in the first half with 12 points to eventually finish with 19 points and even flirted with a double-double after grabbing nine rebounds.
The scores:
UP 97 — Alarcon 21, Lopez 15, Cagulangan 11, Abadiano 10, Torculas 9, Diouf 9, Cansino 5, Belmonte 5, Fortea 5, Felicilda 4, Pablo 3, Briones 0, Torres 0, Alter 0, Gagate 0.
DLSU 67 — M. Phillips 19, Quiambao 11, Nelle 8, Austria 6, Nonoy 5, Cortez 4, Gollena 4, Escandor 3, David 2, Policarpio 2, Abadam 2, Manuel 1, B. Phillips 0, Macalalag 0, Nwankwo 0.
Quarters: 28-24, 53-41, 77-55, 97-67.
