DE LA SALLE University held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the University of Santo Tomas, emerging victorious with a 94-87 overtime win in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.
The game turned into a free-throw shooting contest in the extra period, with the Green Archers making their charity shots while the Growling Tigers struggled at the line.
After Kevin Quiambao opened the extra period with a layup, La Salle attempted seven free throws, converting all of them, while UST managed four attempts but made only one, resulting in an 89-81 lead for La Salle with 3:34 remaining. Phillips then stretched their advantage to double digits with a layup at 1:53, making it 91-81.
“We were not surprised at how UST played. We always remind ourselves that every team will go all out competing against us. We made a lot of mistakes down the line; it’s just another opportunity for us to learn,” said La Salle head coach Topex Robinson, whose Green Archers improved to a league-leading 8-1 record.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The Growling Tigers closed the fourth quarter with a massive 19-6 run, overcoming a 61-74 deficit to tie the game at 80 and force an extra five minutes.
UST had golden opportunities to take the lead in regulation when Mike Phillips was called for an unsportsmanlike foul on Forthsky Padrigao after the former held the latter’s arm to stop a fast break.
Padrigao split his free throws to tie the game at 80, but UST had two more chances to win. However, the Ateneo de Manila University transfer missed two badly executed three-point attempts, sending the game into overtime.
Quiambao finished with a career-high 29 points—the most scored by a single player this season—surpassing his previous high of 24 set during Game 3 of the Season 86 Finals on December 6. He also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out three assists.
“I think the lesson we learned is that we need to execute our system from the first to the fourth quarter because the game doesn’t end after the third. After that, we relaxed a bit, and coach reminded us that UST could come back, so we needed to be prepared,” said the 6-foot-6 all-around forward, who launched La Salle’s 14-0 start in the game with 13 points.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Phillips contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Raven Gonzales added 11 points and four rebounds in just 11 minutes of play.
UST has not beaten De La Salle since narrowly winning 81-79 in the second round on October 11, 2015. The Growling Tigers have now lost their last 16 meetings with the Green Archers.
La Salle will look to extend its winning streak to six games on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against Adamson University at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Nic Cabañero delivered a strong performance with 23 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and three steals against five turnovers, but UST dropped its second straight game, falling to 4-5. They remain in fourth place, just half a game ahead of 3-5.
Padrigao finished with 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field, including a dismal 2-of-9 from beyond the arc. Mo Tounkara, who was ejected at the 3:38 mark of the fourth quarter after receiving two technical fouls for taunting, contributed 14 points and eight rebounds.
UST will aim to end its two-game skid on Saturday as well, facing Ateneo de Manila University at their home gym at 12 p.m.
The Scores:
DLSU 94 – Quiambao 29, M. Phillips 16, Gonzales 11, Gollena 8, Agunanne 7, Austria 6, Macalalag 6, Dungo 6, David 3, Marasigan 2, Ramiro 0, Abadam 0, Konov 0, Rubico 0.
UST 87 – Cabañero 23, Padrigao 15, Tounkara 14, Pangilinan 10, Paranada 8, Manaytay 7, Llemit 3, Estacio 3, Crisostomo 2, Robinson 2, Acido 0, Mahmood 0, Lane 0, Danting 0.
Quarterscores: 27-14, 42-29, 65-56, 80-80, 94-87.
