One of the most highly-anticipated games in the preseason turned out to be a whitewashing.
The high-powered De La Salle Green Archers dominated bitter rivals Ateneo de Manila University on both ends in a blowout to stay unbeaten in the 2016 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup Sunday afternoon.
Ben Mbala, the leading candidate for most valuable player in the tournament, was impressive once again. He had 28 points, 16 boards, and three blocks in the game. He was 8-for-16 from the field and 12-for-13 from the charity stripe.
“Every game ganun naman talaga siya. Good for him kasi nag-sesettle down na yung bata,” Green Archers head coach Aldin Ayo. “Ngayon, nakukuha na niya yung rhythm, timing, and kumpiyansa niya.”
The Green Archers displayed great ball movement in the first half en route to a 51-35 halftime lead. During the first 20 minutes of the game, Mbala had already notched a double-double with 17 points and ten boards. Moreover, the troika of Jeron Teng, Kib Montalbo, and Abu Tratter all had eight markers during that span.
On the other end, La Salle greatly outrebounded their rivals 34 compared to 18 while forcing Ateneo to 13 first half turnovers.
“Wala akong idea kung ano meron sa Ateneo-La Salle pero alam ko yung rivalry dahil sa Letran-San Beda,” Ayo added. “Sabi ko pag nagkakaroon ng ganoong laro, everything levels up. Pag-uusapan lang ay yung pride ng school. Basta sabi ko lang stick to the gameplan.”
As the third frame commenced, Mbala and the Green Archers continued to raise the intensity as the minutes went by. The lead continued to balloon by the minute as the lead grew to an insurmountable 27 point lead in the third frame, 79-52.
Things got heated in the quarter as Adrian Wong and Jollo Go had a brief confrontation at the 2:13 mark of the third canto. It resulted to both being called for an unsportmanlike foul.
With the game out of reach at the start of the final frame, the Green Archer officials continued to plug their starters in the game. In addition, rookies Ricci Rivero and Aljun Melecio impressed during their brief time on the court.
“Hindi naman kami nag-send ng message. We are just working on our team chemistry kaya ganun yung intensity namin,” Ayo admitted. “We are still building our team. Gusto lang namin maganda ang kalabasan.”
“We just want to make a habit that every time we play basketball, we stick to the system.”
Only two from the Blue-side were able to reach double-figures in the game. Thirdy Ravena had ten markers while Chibueze Ikeh had ten points and eight boards in the loss.
The Blue Eagles committed 28 turnovers in the game that led to 28 second chance points. Moreover, the Green Archers held a 53-37 rebounding edge.
The Green Archers (A, 5-0) play their second to the last game in the elimination round in facing the Lyceum Pirates on Thursday, June 2 at 3:15pm. The Blue Eagles (A, 3-2), on the other hand, look to bounce back on the same day as they face the Mapua Cardinals at 5:00pm.
The Scores:
DLSU (98) – Mbala 28, Teng 24, Tratter 10, Torres 9, Montalbo 8, Melecio 8, Caracut 5, Rivero R 4, Rivero P 2, Gob 0, Go 0, Paraiso 0, Dyke 0, Langston 0, Muyang 0.
ADMU (66) – Ravena 10, Ikeh 10, Porter 8, Wong 8, Black 7, Nieto Ma 6, Nieto Mi 4, Tio 3, Allmond 3, Babilonia 2, Tolentino 2, Mendoza 2, Banzon 1, Go 0.
Quarterscores: 22-14, 51-35 82-55, 98-66.
