With this morale-boosting 80-66 win over FEU, you can very well say that the Green Archers have already put the disappointment of last week behind them. Playing with renewed energy and focus, La Salle hung tough with the Tams for the first three quarters. And when the right moment came, the backcourt trio of Simon, Oda and Luigi delivered the knock out punch to hand the Tamaraws only their second loss this season.
It was not only a huge win but also a character win as well. Even when everyone thought FEU would pull away at one point after taking an 8 point lead, they were unfazed. The team showed grit and determination, they showed relentless defense and fluid offense for the entire game in contrast to the first game when they wavered in the endgame. FEU’s backcourt duo of Garcia and Romeo, after waxing hot at the beginning of the match were nowhere to be found in the payoff period. Yutien, Papot, Maui and Jovet outhustled the Tam’s big men and did a good job in controlling the boards.
Oda is slowly but surely coming to his own. He may have not topscored for the team, but his daredevil inside incursions ignited a run that enabled the Archers to finally take command of the game and pull away for good. He may just be the slasher-type guy this team badly needs. A Joseph Yeo in the making perhaps.
Props to Simon and Luigi for showing a lot of composure down the stretch. Their timely hits from the outside thwarted any attempt by the Tams to stage another late-game rally similar to their first round encounter.
As we mentioned in our pregame, the Archers can do great things this season with the right mindset. They have already shown that they can beat even the stronger teams. It’s no fluke, this team is for real. If they continue to play like this, we’re in for more surprises.
Boxscores:
DLSU 80 – Atkins 19, de la Paz 12, Tampus 10, Andrada 9, Villanueva 8, Vosotros 5, Mendoza 5, Tolentino 4, Paredes 2, Webb 2, Marata 2, Ferdinand 2.
FEU 66 – Garcia 18, Ramos 14, Romeo 11, Cawaling 8, Cervantes 7, Cruz 2, Sanga 2, Knuttel 2, Bringas 1, Exciminiano 1, Mendoza 9, Noundou 0.
Quarter scoring: 17-21, 34-38, 54-57, 80-66
