Mayhem ensued once again at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The De La Salle University Green Archers blasted the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 91-75, to keep its perfect streak intact Saturday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Ben Mbala dictated the pace of the game with 21 points on an efficient 9-of-11 shooting and 16 rebounds.
Four other Green Archers scored in double-digits. Jeron Teng, who returned to the starting lineup, finished the game with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field while rookie Aljun Melecio scored a personal-high 13 markers as he knocked down three triples. Kib Montalbo also flourished in the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
“We played as a team. We had a lot of assists and we did a good job on defense that led to three-point shots,” Cameroonian student-athlete Mbala, who notched his fifth double-double in as many games, said.
“As Ben said, we executed well and we were able to play as a team,” Bacolod-native Montalbo added.
After a close first quarter, the league-leaders limited the Soaring Falcons to just three field goals in the second frame to lead by as much as 17 points, 49-31, with 45 seconds remaining in the half.
“Gusto ko yung ganun na kalaban because they are structured. Pasok sa sistema ko na magulo. Ganun yung gusto ko na mga kalaban,” first year La Salle head coach Aldin Ayo said after the game.
The struggles of Adamson extended to the early part of the third canto as the young Falcons could not even cross the ball to the its side of the court. Free throws by Ben Mbala and a basket by Julian Sargent extended La Salle’s lead to a game-high 19 points, 53-34, two minutes into the quarter.
The Franz Pumaren-mentored squad tried to rally back early in the final quarter, cutting the lead to 11 points after a Rob Manalang triple. However, baskets by Jeron Teng and rookie big man Justine Baltazar coming from La Salle’s smothering defense gave their team a comfortable margin up until the final buzzer as the Falcons could not get the lead down under 11 points.
“Hinigpitan namin yung depensa especially dun sa backcourt and we were able to execute our offense. If there’s one thing we were able to accomplish this game was our offensive execution,” Ayo added.
The Green Archers out-rebounded its opponents by a huge margin once again, 54 to 32 that led to a 21 to 13 edge in second chance points. La Salle’s depth was also in full display as La Salle’s second and third group finished the game with a total of 36 points.
Jerrick Ahanmisi was the high point man for the Soaring Falcons with 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting from the field. Fellow rookie Manalang added 15 points but shot a horrid 5-of-13 from the field.
The DLSU Green Archers (5-0) next face the UE Red Warriors (0-4) on Wednesday, September 28 at 4:00pm. On the other hand, the Adamson Soaring Falcons (3-2) look to bounce back on Sunday, October 2 against the same opponent at 12:00nn. Both games will be played at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
DLSU (91) – Mbala 21, Teng 15, Melecio 13, Montalbo 12, Torres 11, Baltazar 7, Tratter 6, Go 2, Sargent 2, Rivero R. 2, Caracut 0.
ADU (75) – Ahanmisi 22, Manalang 15, Sarr 9, Pasturan 9, Manganti 6, Tungcab 5, Espeleta 2, Ochea 1, Mustre 1, Ng 0, Bernardo 0, Chua 0, Camacho 0.
Quarterscores: 22-17, 49-34, 66-52, 91-75.
