De La Salle University finally clinched a playoff spot after carving out a 64-51 win over Adamson University in the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Thursday afternoon, at SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The victory marked the first time since 2017 that the Green Archers were able to make it back to the Final Four after successfully securing the third seed with an 8-5 record.
Both teams found themselves in a seesaw battle through the first three quarters of the game.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Green Archers used a 10-0 blast to distance themselves against the Soaring Falcons. Evan Nelle and Schonny Winston both stepped up and delivered key baskets for DLSU down the stretch.
Trailing 48-60 in the final minute of the game, Adamson eventually ran out of time to mount its comeback en route to a second straight loss.
“I think we really worked hard for it. It was a total team effort for the whole team. After a long wait, finally, it’s official that we made it to the Final Four,” said DLSU head coach Derrick Pumaren. “It’s a big win for us, we know that it wasn’t gonna be easy. We know that Adamson was not gonna lie down and die out there.”
Schonny Winston, who missed La Salle’s game against Far Eastern University last Tuesday, bannered his side with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block in 30:38 minutes of action.
Evan Nelle added 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Michael Phillips contributed four points and nine rebounds.
La Salle’s starters were at the forefront of their attack as they outscored their Adamson counterparts, 42-29, in this game. The Green Archers also capitalized on the errors of their opponents by scoring 21 points off turnovers as compared to the Soaring Falcons’ three.
Meanwhile, the Soaring Falcons remain in the hunt for a Final Four spot after being dragged to a 5-8 tally.
Jerom Lastimosa led his team with 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
Tricky Peromingan also notched 11 points along with eight rebounds while Lenda Douanga finished with six points, eight rebounds, and a steal of his own.
Both schools shall next play on Sunday at the SM MOA Arena. Adamson (5-8) matches up against University of the East (0-13) at 10:00 AM while De La Salle University (8-5) takes on National University (6-7) at 4:30 PM.
The Scores:
La Salle 64 – Winston 19, Nelle 11, Lojera 10, Austria 6, Baltazar 6, M. Phillips 4, Nwankwo 4, Manuel 2, B. Phillips 2, Nonoy 0.
Adamson 51 – Lastimosa 11, Peromingan 11, Sabandal 8, Zaldivar 7, Douanga 6, Manzano 4, Hanapi 4, Magbuhos 0, Colonia 0, Yerro 0, Barasi 0, Fuentebella 0, Maata 0, Jaymalin 0.
Quarterscores: 12-13, 27-26, 43-43, 64-51.
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