Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Mbala hopes Green Archers solve woes ahead of Finals


Ben Mbala does not want all of their hard work this season to go to waste.

The De La Salle University Green Archers have been dominant for most of the regular season. The benchmark of the entire collegiate basketball landscape, La Salle finished the regular season with a 13-1 slate, leaving their opponents reeling with an average winning margin of 15.1 points per game.

After a 10-day break however, there was no semblance of the well-oiled Green Archer machine that dominated the league. La Salle barely escaped the upstart Adamson Soaring Falcons 69-64 to squeak into the finals for the first time since 2013.

During the game, the Green Archers committed an eye-popping 26 turnovers, 2.3 turnovers above their norm. Moreover, Adamson’s quick double-teams resulted to less touches for soon-to-be-named MVP Ben Mbala. Starting off the game with 14 first half points, the Cameroonian student-athlete scored just seven points in the second half.

UAAP-79-DLSU-vs.-AdU-Sarr-Mbala-5680 Mbala hopes Green Archers solve woes ahead of Finals Basketball DLSU News UAAP  - philippine sports news

“I think we just have to get better on defense and better decision-making on offense,” Mbala, who had 16 boards and four swats, lamented. “We cannot keep on playing like that in the Finals. We have to find a way to make adjustments and lessen our turnovers.”

And the first-year Green Archer admits that it is a major of concern for the team especially at this stage of the tournament.

“This deep in the season we cannot afford to have that many turnovers. The lesson is we have to find a way to take care of the ball,” the 6-foot-7 big man furthered.

“It’s more about us. Not to discredit Adamson but we have been struggling with our one-on-one defense and bringing the ball down.”

La Salle mentor Aldin Ayo did not hold back in expressing his disgust with how his team played. And Mbala is bracing for the tough practices his mentor will hold in preparation for the big dance.
UAAP-79-DLSU-vs.-AdU-Aldin-Ayo-5871 Mbala hopes Green Archers solve woes ahead of Finals Basketball DLSU News UAAP  - philippine sports news
“He wasn’t happy and he made sure to let us know that he wasn’t happy. We have to find ways to fix that meaning during trainings, we need to have more hours and more effort on defense,” he said.

“We’ve been handling that for months and we were able to survive so I don’t think one week would kill us. For the Finals, we need to put in the necessary effort to find ways.”

#ReadMore  Green vs. Blue: La Salle, Ateneo to sport dark jerseys in UAAP rivalry clash
Written By


You May Also Like

AdU

Rey Remogat sank two clutch three-pointers, while Miguel Yniguez delivered steady free-throw shooting in the final six minutes to lead University of the Philippines...

Basketball

National University found a familiar comfort at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion. Ten days ago, NU stunned the UP Fighting Maroons at the same venue...

Basketball

Aside from the pride of representing Gilas Pilipinas once again, Kevin Quiambao shared that his newborn son, Kevin Vennan, will serve as an added...

AdU

Dylan Darbin hit a clutch jumper with barely a second remaining, as Centro Escolar University spoiled Rey Remogat’s debut for University of the Philippines,...

Basketball

Kevin Quiambao admitted to playing in a “ligang labas” game last weekend, a move that has stirred some controversy amid his busy schedule in...

Basketball

Topex Robinson shrugged off the volatile reactions he received during De La Salle University’s 77-66 victory over fellow championship contender University of the Philippines...

Basketball

Defending champions De La Salle Green Archers continued their dominance over the University of the Philippines, defeating the Fighting Maroons 77-66 to secure the...

Basketball

La Salle maintained its perfect record, while reigning UCAL champion Centro Escolar University (CEU) strengthened its semifinal bid in the PGFlex Linoleum Invitational Tournament...

Advertisement