Defending champion De La Salle University began its campaign in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Basketball Tournament with a narrow 78-75 victory over National University (NU) on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
It took a clutch game-winning three-pointer from Kevin Quiambao with just 9.8 seconds left on the clock to secure the win.
However, one of the key players who kept La Salle in contention throughout the game was fourth-year center Mike Phillips.
The 6-foot-8 banger contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds in just over 22 minutes of play.
“We’re definitely blessed,” said Phillips, a gold medalist at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.
He went on, “Br. Bernie [Oca] said in our locker room that we won by the skin of our teeth. Medyo nagigil talaga kami sa start, but I think that’s gonna be the storyline of our season: Iust finishing games strong and finding that grit.
“‘Pag walang nangyayari sa opensa namin or sa defense, we fight it point by point.”
Despite feeling that he didn’t have his best game, Phillips remained focused on his role for the team.
“I just tried to hustle. I really had an off-game, but that’s one thing I love about this team – everyone knows their roles, and I don’t have to do anything outside of mine. My job is to rebound, play defense, and help our team maintain pressure on both ends,” said the fourth-year big man.
“I’m so glad we can lean on our guys, especially the rookies. It was their first game, and it was a great experience for them. We have a lot to learn, but we can only go up from here.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
La Salle entered the season as one of the favorites to contend for the championship, alongside the University of the Philippines.
However, they faced a tough challenge from a determined NU team eager to prove itself as a serious title contender.
The Green Archers had to dig deep, relying on their collective effort and the energy from their fans at the iconic Quezon City venue to pull off a dramatic win.
“Our captain, kuya Josh [David], reminded us to take it one game and one stop at a time,” Phillips shared. “He told us not to focus on the score and just try to execute. We played 50 to 60 games in the pre-season, many of which were close games like this.
“But when it comes to the UAAP, the atmosphere is different. The environment is intense, but what really helped us keep going was seeing the La Salle side filled with people cheering for us. They supported us during timeouts and even when we were down, and that was a huge factor in helping us stay afloat.”
Winning back-to-back championships in the UAAP is notoriously difficult, and La Salle hasn’t successfully defended a title since Season 64, at the end of their four-peat dynasty.
It’s games like this that test a team’s character, and Phillips believes these tough matchups will help strengthen them for the road ahead.
“We got a glimpse of Adamson’s game before ours today. It’s going to be another tough one on Wednesday,” Phillips said.
“They’ve got Montebon, Manzano – all those guys are really tough players. We’ll take the night to rest, but once midnight hits, we’re going to start preparing for Adamson and hopefully grind out another win.”
