Good solid game from the Archers resulting in that 20-point victory. It could have been a bigger blowout but Franz elected to tinker with his lineup.
Defensive intensity was outstanding from the beginning, limiting NU to 4 points in the 1st quarter, 16 in the 2nd, 8 in the 3rd, before easing up and allowing the Bulldogs to score 20 in the 4th. Only Ponferada and Baloran managed to score consistently on plays in the paint with their teammates rendered ineffective by the stifling press and man-to-man defense of the Archers.
The Archer lockdown defense forced NU into more than 32 turnovers as of the end of the 3rd quarter. The turnover story was not entirely one way. In the first half, the Archers had already tallied 15 turnovers according to the tv panel.
The Archers were relatively effective on offense, averaging 19 points in the first 3 quarters before easing off in the fourth with the game already beyond recall.
Marata scored 12 points, all on triples. Gab Banal also connected on his own trey.
Yutien stole the ball in successive plays in the 4th quarter and scored on a nice side jumper to cap the sequence.
Ever since the second match against FEU, the team has shown incremental improvements in all aspects of their game, but most strikingly on defense. They have now limited opponents to 65, 65, 63, 63 and 48. That’s an average of 60.8. The offense has picked up, seems someone took the lid off the ring and our boys can now feel the shot go in as they take it. Not bad at all. When we play FEU and UE in the second round, they’ll find that this is a different team.
This win was in contrast to the Adamson game, which was tight for most of the game. The Archers sprinted to a 9-0 lead and never looked back. This was in contrast to their previous games where they trailed in the first quarter. Wonder what they had for breakfast? Maybe we should make sure the team has more of that whenever they have a game.
In recent years, NU’s name could have been changed to ‘Bombers’ because of their tendency to bomb away at the basket with abandon. Of course, ‘Bulldogs’ also aptly describes their type of game – tenacious and dangerous.
Their game is ‘free wheeling’, and that’s the hardest kind of game to defend against because it can be unpredictable and therefore difficult to prepare for. And when any of their players gets hot, watch out. So it will have to be 40 minutes of unrelenting pressure defense, no letdown like what happened in the last 30 seconds of the Adamson game where the Falcons scored 5 points after the Archers held them to a single point for the first 9:30. If the game is close, every point will count.
NU can score, as seen in their losing effort against UST where they tallied 89 points. So will the Archers hold the ‘Dogs to 65 points or less? Can they repeat their strong defensive performance in the 2nd quarter for the 3rd straight game? We’ll know at around 4:30 on Thursday.
Let’s hope that our players are all healthy for tomorrow’s game. Peejay was in the hospital during last game, with James and Bader being hospitalized after playing against Adamson. Ferdinand also played sick, was examined but was not admitted. If they’re not at 100%, the rookies may pick up some of their minutes.
The most common comments about the game were “an ugly win” and “a win is a win”. Both terms very aptly describe the one point overtime win against Adamson, 64-63. The Archers eked out the win on a Maui Villanueva free throw with 3.7 seconds left in overtime. With the victory, the Archers evened their record at 2 wins, 2 losses.
More Archers step up
The game saw breakout performances from Kish Co and Hyram Bagatsing. Kish Co, our undersized power forward who was never known for his scoring ability, led the scoresheet with 17 points and 9 rebounds in only 22 minutes. Hyram found his mark from long distance as he hit 3 crunch time treys to keep the Archers in the game. Their sterling performances offset the career game of backup Adamson pg Lester Alvarez who poured in 24 points in as many minutes. Alvarez almost singlehandedly turned the tables on the Archers as he repeatedly penetrated or hit from the long court.
Defense does it again for the Archers
While the most common comment about the Archers has been their inability to consistently put points on the board, most observers and supporters have overlooked the defensive aspect of the green-and-white. The Archer defense again limited their second consecutive opponent to 63 points after holding their first 2 foes to just 65 points. After throttling UP into a 4 point second quarter, the Archers nearly repeated the feat as they held Adamson to a single free throw in the first 9:30 of the second quarter. Only a defensive letdown allowed Adamson to score a basket and hit on a halfcourt heave as the halftime buzzer sounded to bring their total to 6 points. Now, if only the Archers could replicate this second quarter defensive performance for the full 4 quarters of a game.
As basketball pundits like to say, a team’s offense may be off but the defense can always be relied on. The Archers only connected on 28% of their field goal attempts, still a long way from where it should be, so the Archers had to rely on their defense to win the game. The aggressive Archer defense forced the Falcons to turn the ball over 28 times, which they converted into 24 points. Only Alvarez was able to score in double digits for the Falcons, who have lost their games by an average of 1.7 points. Starting guards Jerick Canada and Leo Canuday were rendered ineffective by their counterparts Simon Atkins, Bader Malabes, and Hyram Bagatsing, who limited them to 6 points and just 1 assist despite both logging a total of 50 minutes. In fact, the two had more turnovers than points, with 7. The Falcon frontline of Michael Galinato and Jan Colina was also limited to just 9 points by Ferdinand, Yutien Andrada, Arvie Bringas, and Maui Villanueva. James made up for his lower point production by blocking 2 Adamson shots, with Maui accounting for the other block. The quick hands of the Archers resulted in 9 steals, with rookie Joel Tolentino accounting for 3 and James with 2. Big men Arvie and Yutien contributed 1 each.
While the defensive intensity has stepped up, the team will have to maintain their focus and concentration for the full game. In some instances, the Archers prevented the Falcons from any clear shots at the basket for 20 seconds, only for the Falcons to find a way to score in the last ticks of the shot clock. The defense is shaping up to be the major Archer weapon for this season. Still a work in progress, but the results so far are definitely in line with the Archer reputation for defense over the years.
Offense still needs some work
The Archers continued to misfire on offense, but compensated by taking 76 field goal attempts and hitting 21. Some of this inaccuracy may be traced to the players being “gigil”, as well as team still learning how to implement the offense in the UAAP environment. The free throw yips resurfaced, and the Archers only connected on 16 out of 31 attempts. Yet it was a free throw that provided the decisive margin. The team will need to practice their foul shots. Interestingly, Arvie Bringas connected on 1 of his 2 attempts from the 3 point area. If he can sink these long shots consistently, he can draw out his man and free up the interior for the other Archer inside operators like James or allow slashers like Bader and Hyram to penetrate.
Teamwork is improving. The number of assists rose to 15 after a low of 8 in the FEU game. What is encouraging about his statistic is the number of players whose passes allowed their teammates to score – 9. Joshua and James contributed 3 each. The Archers also took relatively good care of the ball, turning it over 17 times.
Rebounding continued to be competitive, with the team collecting 50 rebounds, 20 of which were on the offensive glass. Kish Co barely missed a double double with 9 rebounds. Arvie and James continued their sterling board work with 7 each, and Yutien made the most of his 17 minutes by pulling down 5 rebounds and harassing the Adamson big men.
The rookie watch
Reed thin Yutien logged the most minutes with 17, followed by Arvie with 16 and Joel with 12. Sam Marata started but was limited to 6 minutes, and Gab was on court for 3 minutes. Jed Manguera did not see action. Yutien’s statistics may not be impressive, but his value can be seen in the way he helped prevent the Falcon big men from dominating inside. Arvie struggled from the field, but made up for it by being active on defense and paying attention to his board work. Once he adapts to playing against bigger opponents and learns to relax, he’ll start to deliver results. Joel continues to contribute valuable minutes at the point. His effortless ball handling and court vision make him a very capable point guard, and he continues to be an offensive threat with his ability to consistently hit the trey. Joel likewise provides the quickness that LA showed last year. Sam continued to be closely marked and was unable to take any attempts from the field. Touted to be a gunner from long range, once he gains confidence in the catch and shoot sets, he’ll be the same kind of threat that Renren was during his stint with the team. Gab and Jed have not had the opportunity to show their wares yet due to their playing time, but they have also showed their shooting ability from the long court during the pre-season.
Post-game notes
Peejay was in sick bay, and it was later revealed that he had been hospitalized. James and Bader came in for some criticism for their performance during the game, and after the game James and Bader were also admitted because they had played sick. Without their contributions, it is highly probable that the team would have lost to Adamson.
The outlook
The Archers still have to play NU, UST, and Ateneo. NU is a dangerous team that hoists a lot of shots, particularly from 3 point range. If the ‘Dogs get hot, they will definitely be a threat. UST was not fancied to make it to the final 4, but their performance in the first few games installed them as a legitimate contender. Their core is built around last year’s team minus Jervy Cruz and Japs Cuan, is quick and athletic, and can light it up from the long court. Pido Jarencio is a savvy coach who has shown that he can extract the maximum from his players. Of course, despite their loss to UP, Ateneo remains the team to beat. They have the best inside game, and their guards and wingmen can hit it from outside, are more experienced, and have played together longer than the young team we have. A sweep of the remaining games to finish at 5-2 is unlikely. The Archers should win at least 1 of the last 3 games, so at worst could finish 3-4. Of course, it would be better if they could finish the first round with a winning record at 4-3.
The game against Adamson showed that the Archer game is starting to come together both on offense and defense. The defense has held opponents to an average of 64 points, and the ability to disrupt the opponents’ game plan was evident against the Falcons where only Alvarez was able to excel. The starters were all held to sub-par performances. It is on offense where the Archers need to regain their confidence. Their ability to sink their shots is better than their statistics suggest.
But we need to remember that the Archers have traditionally started the season slow, and tend to peak only in the second round. So there’s still a lot of upside to this team. They deserve our support.
College of Saint Benilde was caught by surprise losing 78-73 to guest team Emilio Aguinaldo College in the 85th NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City last July 27.
Coming off a slim 64-63 victory over Perpetual Help last Friday, the Blazers struggled against the Generals despite a career-high 32 points from guard Jeff Morial.
But the lack of support to Morial’s exploits, coupled with the ejections of Chuck Dalanon and Jan Tan for leaving the bench during a near altercation between MC Abolucion and EAC’s Russell Yaya in the second quarter affected CSB dearly.
The defeat sent the Blazers of new head coach Richard del Rosario back below the .500-mark at 3-4 but remained in fifth place behind idle Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
Saint Benilde, which hasn’t reached the Final Four since the Sunday Salvacion-led squad lost to San Sebastian in the 2002 Finals, started the season by winning its first two games against Angeles University Foundation and Mapua Institute of Technology, respectively.
However, they have since dropped four of its next five games, including an 86-66 setback at the hands of the defending three-time champion San Beda College last July 13.
In losing to its nearby foes located along Taft Avenue and UN Avenue, Benilde had 38 rebounds but the Generals had nine more that led to several second chance opportunities.
Morial made 12-of-19 shots from the field including four triples in perhaps his best game of his collegiate career. He drained 12 points in the fourth quarter alone and trimmed the Blazers’ eight-point deficit down to 64-61 with 7:30 left to play.
But big man Ruel Jabaybay came through for the Generals in the homestretch, unveiling 10 of his 12 points on putbacks that put an end to Benilde’s comeback bid.
John Santos led EAC with 18 points with Claude Cubo adding 17 points. Argel Mendoza and Jabaybay chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively, as the Generals won their second straight contest after losing their first four.
CSB meets another guest team in former NCRAA champion Arellano University on Friday, also in San Juan City. Gametime is set at 2pm.
Earlier, CSB-La Salle Greenhills defeated EAC, 85-67, in the juniors division.
The scores:
Juniors
CSB-LSGH 85- Flores 17, Sta. Maria 13, Sy 11, Tanjueco 10, Vergara 9, Lee 8, Sayson 6, Diaz 6, Calaquian 5, Sollano 0, Miguel 0, Carlos 0
As ugly as it seems, a win is still a win. Despite making 17 turnovers and missing 15 foul shots, the Archers were just fortunate that Adamson self destructed again in the closing seconds in overtime to nail its second straight win. The loss negated backup Falcon pg Alvarez’s career game. Adamson had previously blown a winnable game against FEU last week.
Peejay Barua did not play due to flu.
Kish Co had a monster game today, registering a career high with 17 points as well as providing hustle on both ends of the court. Kish had a near double double with 9 boards. How we wish he was around last year.
Hats off to captain Hyram Bagatsing for hitting the crucial shots down the stretch. As the leader of the team, he certainly stepped up when needed. Hyram also hit his career high of 11 points, making those important treys late in the game.
The Archer defense almost held Adamson to 1 point in the 2nd quarter, but allowed Adamson to score 5 points in the last 30 seconds, including a 3pointer launched from half court at the buzzer. Adamson’s 6 point 2nd quarter was the second consecutive opponent that the Archers have clamped down on defense in the 2nd quarter.
The team wore yellow patches on their uniforms in honor of former President Cory Aquino. The entire DLSU community are all in prayers for her recovery.
Yet another sorry loss for the Adamson Falcons, whose losses so far have all come in close games.
Trivia: in both games today, the player of the game was named Co: Kish and Woody
When asked for a word to describe how he felt when the team finally won last Thursday, coach Franz replied, “Exciting!”
James Mangahas told the press “Kailangan naming mag work as a team, kasi puro rookies kami. Wala kaming star sa points so kailangan talaga mag work as a team, kailangan naming mag execute para mag compete sa tournament.”
Coach Franz was all praises for James Mangahas and even said that he is a classic example of a non-vocal leader just like JV Casio and Mon Jose. “They are leaders that are not that vocal yet still set a good example for their teammates by how hard they play in every game.”
Ok, now for the upcoming match tomorrow..
The Falcons are no pushovers this year as they almost beaten the likes of UST and FEU in their previous matches. If not for some bad breaks down the stretch, they could have achieved an unblemished mark at this point in the tournament.
Key to Adamson’s drive this season is the heads-up play of their sturdy backcourt trio of Jerick Canada, Lester Alvarez and the returning Leo Canuday. They are given ample support at the frontline by Jan Colina, Alex Nuyles, Allan Santos and Ex-Green Archer Mike Galinato. Nuyles however is sidelined due to his shoulder injury he sustained in a game against UP.
The Archers need to play at an even higher level than their previous game in order to keep pace with the Falcons. Veterans like Bader, James, PeeJay, Simon and Joshua should again come out and lead the charge for the team.
Rookie Arvie Bringas, though still struggling has shown flashes of brilliance in several occasions in the past games. We are all hopeful to soon see him adjust well in the seniors.
Defense, notably on the Adamson guards is the key for the Archers to win their second game of the season.
Finally!
The Green Archers moved out of the cellar position they jointly held with UP with their first win at the expense of the Maroons yesterday at the Philsports. As a diehard supporter said, the win felt like a championship.
The Archers had a jittery start, allowing UP to take an 11-point lead behind the accurate long distance sniping of former DLSZ player Martin Reyes, but closed to within 4 at the end of the first quarter. They then clamped down on defense and held UP to a season low 4 points in the second quarter to take the lead for good. After falling behind by double digits, UP rallied to within 3 points but successive treys by Bader restored the comfortable margin which the green-and-white team maintained to the end.
Shoot that ball!
The team continued to struggle on offense, needing 84 shots to connect on 27 field goals for a low 32% shooting clip. Making 1 out of every 3 shots isn’t going to make it easy to win games, particularly against the better teams.
The 3point accuracy today is still way below par. It seems to be a collective lack of confidence, because many of our players can sink those shots regularly. It’s easier to defend against the Archers when they’re not hitting their long shots; all the opponents have to do is clog the paint, and we don’t score. Something UE and FEU did, and we saw the results. Once our gunners regain that confidence, the team will be that much harder to defend because the defense will have to spread out, and our inside game can start to click.
The execution on offense is better, but there are still some mental lapses that lead to turnovers. More concentration and focus will lead to better execution, which is the area that Franz is now focusing on. The plans have been laid out already, scouting of other teams is ongoing, and all that remains is the execution part. With all teams having played 3 games as of this writing, the coaches now have a better idea of how the opponents play, and we should start seeing specific game plans against opponents instead of the generic play we’ve seen so far.
De-fense!
The Archers held UP to 63 points after giving up 65 in each of their first two games. On paper, that looks very good, but we must remember that UP is offensively challenged. Still, it shows that the defense is starting to stiffen, and yesterday it was instrumental in forcing UP into 32 errors that were logged in the stat sheets. Of course, UP is an error-prone team, but nonetheless many of those turnovers were forced by the aggressive and active defense of the Archers. Unlike UE and FEU, UP does not have good penetrators on the dribble, so we didn’t see if the drive-and-dish plays would still work.
Poise
One area that showed improvement the team’s poise when UP rallied to cut the double digit lead to 3 points in the 3rd quarter. The Archers refused to be rattled, and strung together several baskets to defuse the rally and restore a double digit lead. Against UE and FEU, the team buckled down under the pressure when UE and FEU got hot. They also minimized their errors (yesterday’s 15 was the team’s lowest in 3 games) despite the second half trap and press of UP. The team’s grace under fire against UP augurs well for the rest of the season.
Still a learning curve
It’s apparent that Franz is allowing the team to make their mistakes early in the season. He also shows his confidence in the players by allowing them to shoot their way out of a slump. So expect to continue to see Peejay hoist those long ones, and sooner or later (probably sooner), he’ll start connecting. It must be remembered that he’s been a marked man this year, together with James. And since most of our players perform well as a unit instead of as individuals, creating their own shots is not their strong point, unlike Cortez, Yeo and Cardona or even Casio.
Franz went to his veterans yesterday, and they showed why he continues to give them ample playing time despite their so-so performances in the first 2 games. James was the first Archer to hit double digits this season, and was very efficient on offense, hitting 7/13 from the field and collecting 4 offensive boards. Bader also shot well at 5/10 including consecutive 3 pointers that broke the UP rally in the 3rd quarter. Hyram’s playing time was limited by fouls, but he very capably orchestrated the offense and provided the quarterbacking together with Simon. Joshua provided the fire and hustle and seemed to have energized the team whenever he was on the floor. Peejay continued to misfire, but has maintained his shooter’s mentality, and we expect him to start hitting his shots soon.
Among the rookies who saw action, Sam Marata was held scoreless by the tight marking of the UP players, who already had seen what he could do in the pre-season. Arvie Bringas showed tremendous effort, capped by a team-high 8 rebounds, but missed most of his shots. Joel Tolentino ably orchestrated the plays during his 8 minutes on the court.
All of the players have seen action after 3 games. Yesterday, Jed Manguera entered the game for the first time this season late in the first half. DNP – Yutien Andrada and Gab Banal.
There were five players in the starting lineup of both squads that came from De La Salle high schools: Joshua Webb, Simon Atkins, and Martin Reyes graduated from DLSZ, and Ferdinand and Mikee Reyes are LSGH alumni.
Two Martin Reyes three-pointers sandwiched an An Alvin Padilla triple for the Maroons’ biggest lead, 15-6, 4:54 of the first period.
Maui Villanueva anchored the Archers’ 9-0 counter rally to come near before the quarter ended. By this time, the defense was revving up while both teams decided to run and gun.
Peejay Barua’s jumper at the corner from an inbounds play was the Archers’ first taste of the lead, 23-22, 5:30 in the second quarter. Joel Tolentino’s two freethrows at the 1:21 mark were the go-ahead points as DLSU never trailed from there, 27-25.
A 7-0 run done in less than a minute gave the Archers’ first double digit margin of the season. After Webb made his charities, he scored a quick basket coming from an interception at midcourt. Hyram Bagatsing then scored a three in the next possession for an 11-point spread, 40-29, 7:01 in the third.
A Webb three-pointer, 43-31, 6:40 in the third was the Archers’ widest margin in the period before the Maroons caught up and came within three, 43-46, from a Magi Sison turnaround jumper, 1:25 in the clock.
Bader Malabes heated up, scoring his only two three-pointers in the game in a 10-0 blast for a 13-point gap, 60-47, 7:41 of the fourth. His last basket came from an Arvie Bringas interception past midcourt. The other two field goals in the rally came from putbacks courtesy of James Mangahas and Webb. Two Atkins freethrows after a UP timeout was the game’s biggest lead, 62-47, 7:12 remaining.
At the half, the Archers shot 42% from the two-point area but went 0/12 from triple-v country for a 30% clip. They had zero points in seven fastbreak attempts, but they countered with 15 turnover points.
At the end of the game, the green and white squad finished with a 32% field goal accuracy, while shooting 15/23 from the line. The Archers were also the lord of the offensive board with 23, despite UP grabbing more total rebounds with 52. They also had 14 assists, 11 steals, and four blocks.
The Maroons committed 32 errors, which translated to 35 turnover points for the Archers.
This could be the first word uttered by every Lasallian as they sighed in relief after the Green Archers won their first game of the 2009 UAAP men’s basketball season against University of the Philippines, 73-63, on July 23 at the PhilSports Arena.
De La Salle did to the Fighting Maroons what its two previous opponents did. Joshua Webb and Hyram Bagatsing capped a 12-2 run in the third period to give the Archers a 12-point lead, 43-31, 6:40 in the clock. This went up to 15, 62-47, midway in the fourth after they uncorked a 12-0 rally highlighted by two Bader Malabes three-point shots.
“Execution is our particular concern,” said DLSU men’s basketball head coach Franz Pumaren. “I hope this game will be our turning point.”
James Mangahas topscored for the third straight game with 15 points on 7/13 field goal shooting. This ups his average to 10.6 ppg.
“James is a classic example of a Jvee Casio (or) Mon Jose-type of leader,” explained Pumaren. “He is not vocal but his teammates respect him.”
“Last two games parang bad game sa amin,” Mangahas shared. “Minotivate kami lahat ni coach Franz, huwag magkanya-kanya. Execute lang.”
Malabes had 14 markers, shooting 50% from the field. Webb finished with 13 and five rebounds.
“We are working on our offense,” commented Webb. “It is getting better.”
Rookie Arvie Bringas provided eight boards.
“The rookies and the veterans will (have to) gel as one. We do not have that individual talent that we had (previously),” Pumaren stated. “In order for us to win, we need to work together.”
Carlo Gomez led UP with a double-double 14 points and 14 rebounds. Former Junior Archer Martin Reyes finished with 11 markers, all coming from the first half.
Alvin Padilla put up ten points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
