After trying to lock down La Salle in their first encounter, National University tried to outscore the high-powered Green Archers squad. However, it did not work as well as the depth of the De La Salle University Green Archers proved to be the too much, demolishing the National University Bulldogs for their tenth consecutive win, Wednesday evening at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The win clinches La Salle’s spot in the semifinals while NU’s losing streak extends to four games.
“We just want to continue to build our team, keep playing together. But we haven’t achieved anything yet,” DLSU assistant coach Paulo Sauler said.
“Super happy sa win pero hindi pa tapos yung tournament. Keep working hard pa rin kami,” freshman Aljun Melecio added.
Ben Mbala notched his tenth straight double-double with 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting and 14 rebounds. Melecio also notched his seniors division-high with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, knocking down four triples.
The Bulldogs started the game with a 14-4 run. Behind Jeron Teng and Abu Tratter, the Green Archers rallied back. A triple by Melecio in the closing seconds of the opening frame then gave La Salle the lead, 24-23.
Melecio continued to wax hot in the second quarter, scoring 10 points in the frame. NU floor general Rev Diputado kept his team afloat with 19 first half points.
“NU played really well,” Sauler added.
But trying to outscore La Salle became a tiring task for NU as they crumbled in the final frame. An 85-75 lead entering the final frame immediately turned into a 101-78 rout with 4:57 remaining. Mbala lambasted anything NU tried to front at him, putting up 11 points in the final quarter.
“The game was very tight in the beginning. They really played well. By the third quarter we were able to build a lead,” Mbala said. “We have to keep working.”
Teng and Thomas Torres added 13 and 12 points respectively for La Salle.
The Green Archers bullied the Bulldogs at the board, holding a 51 to 24 rebounding edge. Moreover, they were able to force NU to 27 turnovers.
Rev Diputado led NU with 23 points while Jjay Alejandro added 17 markers. Alfred Aroga was limited to just two points and two rebounds.
The DLSU Green Archers (10-0) will face season-hosts UST (3-7) on Sunday, October 23 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. On the other hand, the NU Bulldogs (4-6) look to snap out of its funk as they face the Ateneo Blue Eagles (5-4) on the same day.
The Scores:
DLSU (113) – Mbala 29, Melecio 18, Teng 13, Torres 12, Tratter 8, Rivero R 6, Caracut 5, Montalbo 5, Perkins 4, Baltazar 4, Rivero P 4, Sargent 2, Go 2, Dyke 1, Paraiso 0.
NU (88) – Diputado R 23, Alejandro 17, Morido 13, Gallego 10, Salem 6, Pate 6, Salim 5, Mosqueda 4, Aroga 2, Diputado C 2, Abatayo 0, Go 0, Sinclair 0, Rangel 0, Yu 0.
Quarterscores: 24-23, 56-49, 85-75, 113-88.
