All posts tagged Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup

Weekly Rundown 6-13

By | June 13, 2009 | 10:27 am |
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  • They Chose Da Nose – (inquirer.net) Joe Lipa is back yet again in the UAAP, where defending champion Ateneo opens its title defense against host Far Eastern U in the opening weekend of the 72nd edition of the country’s premiere collegiate tournament. The UAAP board on Wednesday unanimously approved Lipa’s return as basketball commissioner, a post the many-time national team mentor also held during the 68th season in 2005. “Joe is very qualified because he has shown that he can handle the job without any hint of bias or dishonor,” UAAP president Anton Montinola of FEU said.
  • NCAA Neighbors clash in Nike Finals – (NSL website) San Beda and San Sebastian arranged an all-NCAA finale for the championship after winning their respective semifinal matches of the 2009 Nike Summer League at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City last June 11. The Red Lions rallied from a 14-point deficit in the first half to stun Far Eastern University, 74-72, while the Stags erupted in the last 20 minutes to oust their league rival Letran, 82-69. Both squads will play in a one-game title affair on Saturday. Gametime is set at 4 p.m. after FEU and Letran collide for third place at 2:30 p.m.
  • UAAP Neighbors clash in Fil-Oil Finals – (inquirer.net)University of the East returns to the finals of the FilOil Flying V Pre-Season MVP Cup, but faces a new foe in Far Eastern University. The Warriors halted San Sebastian’s off-the-formchart run with a 90-84 triumph to clinch the first championship berth, but the Tamaraws spoiled a repeat of last year’s title showdown by tripping the San Beda Red Lions, 64-58, in the Final Four last night at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
  • UAAP Fuels New Rules – (philstar.com) The University Athletic Association of the Philippines will apply new rules in resolving ties in Season 72, which unfolds on July 11 at the Araneta Coliseum. The league will also implement rules that give teams a chance to challenge a three-point conversion at any point of the game via instant replay and suspend the possession arrow rule in the last two minutes of the match.
Tags: Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup, NCAA, Nike Summer League

Green, Junior Archers end preseason in setbacks

By | June 11, 2009 | 1:55 pm |

Two De La Salle Archer squads wrapped up its preparation for the UAAP on June 10 with the same result.

The Green Archers was battered by NCAA seniors basketball champions San Beda College in the fourth quarter, resulting to a 49-70 blowout in the quarterfinals of the FilOil-Flying V Preseason Manny V. Pangilinan Cup at the FilOil-Flying V Arena.

Peejay Barua was the lone double figure scorer with 13 points.

Pending the reported preparatory league organized by ABS-CBN this month, this ends the tumultuous preseason for the Green Archers as they now focus on the coming UAAP wars.

Earlier in the day at the Far Eastern University Gym, the Junior Archers succumbed in overtime to Jose Rizal University’s hot shooting, 85-88, in the Nike Summer League juniors division battle for third.

DLSZ led in double digits early in the game but was not able to sustain the headway as the Light Bombers found their shooting touch in the second half. The green and white squad had a chance to either win in regulation or extend the game but the attempts did not fall in.

Luigi dela Paz led the Junior Archers with 29 points as Arnold Van Opstal was a rebound short of a double-double with 20 markers. Anton Sevilla scored 11.

DLSZ was second to Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the Filipino-Chinese Basketball League.

Game Photos

Boxscores:

FilOil-Flying V Preseason Manny V. Pangilinan Cup quarterfinals

San Beda 70 – Daniel 15, Marcelo 13, Pascual 11, Tecson 8, Villahermosa 7, Lanete 4, Tirona 4, Gamalinda 4, Soliman 2, Taganas 2, Koga 0, Villanueva 0, Caram 0.

De La Salle 49 – Barua 13, Mangahas 7, Atkins 7, Revilla 6, Villanueva 4, Malabes 4, Webb 3, Marata 2, Bringas 2, Bagatsing 1, Banal 0, Andrada 0, Co 0, Tolentino 0, Reyes 0.

Quarters: 17-16, 30-26, 48-44, 70-49.

Nike Summer League Juniors battle for third

Jose Rizal 88 – Vigil 29, Lontoc 25, Saret 16, Tanquintic 5, Feguidero 2, Oliveria 2, dela Paz 2, Barranco 2, Garcia 2, Yasay 0, Rodriguez 0, Rosales 0, Ludovice 0.

De La Salle 85 – dela Paz 29, Van Opstal 21, Sevilla 11, Herrera 9, Elorde 6, Fortuna 5, Moran 3, Hernandez 2, Torres 0.

Quarters: 11-20, 32-43, 56-58, 78-78, 88-85.

Tags: Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup, Junior Archers, Nike Summer League

De La Salle out of hump, trumps Letran

By | June 6, 2009 | 2:38 am |


The De La Salle Green Archers finally got out of the rabbit hole, thumping Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 94-81, in their final game of the eliminations in the FilOil-Flying V Preseason Manny V. Pangilinan Cup at the FilOil-Flying V Arena.

Playing with intensity never wintessed the past three weeks, the Archers sustained a 10-1 start in the fourth period to break away for good. Joel Tolentino passed off to a sprinting Arvie Bringas to finish a fastbreak, 79-65, with 6:58 to go.

James Mangahas provided the game’s widest margin after receiving a looseball tapped by Simon Atkins into the frontcourt for an easy layup, 92-77, with half a minute to go before the game ended.

This breaks the green and white squad’s losing spell, finishing the elims of this tournament with four wins and three defeats.

Maui Villanueva made the paint his personal dominion, finishing with a team high 16 points. Bader Malabes scored 12, while Mangahas came up with 11 markers.

The Knights were led by the RP Smart Gilas duo of RJ Jazul and Rey Guevarra, combining for nearly half of their team’s total output. Jaypee Belencion reached 12 markers as Kevin Alas scored ten.

The two sides were keeping in step of each other before Letran had the first significant run of the game as they led by 10, 36-26, midway of the second period. The Taft-based squad quickly recovered to go ahead at the turn then led by nine, 61-52, with three minutes to go in the third as LA Revilla stole the ball off a fullcourt press for a layup.

The blue and red camp then went to within two from two Jun Alas freethrows, :11.6 before the fourth. However, Joshua Webb had the final say, uncorking a three-pointer in front of the DLSU bench with three seconds to go after receiving the assist from Tolentino.

Bringas then went to work in the fourth, scoring the last two field goals in the key run. From there, it was easy pickings as Letran went outside of the arc attempting desperate threes trying to catch up.

A sidelight of the match occured early when John Foronda emerged from a looseball scramble profusely bleeding from the top of his head. There were instances when he played with his bloodstained jersey, but got to wear a new uniform in the second half.

Game Photos

Boxscores

De La Salle 94 – Villanueva 16, Malabes 12, Mangahas 11, Co 8, Webb 8, Bringas 8, Revilla 7, Bagatsing 6, Atkins 5, Barua 4, Marata 3, Banal 2, Andrada 2, Tolentino 2, Reyes 0.

Letran 81 – Jazul 26, Guevarra 14, Belencion 12, Alas, K. 10, del Rosario 6, Cortes 5, Alas, J. 4, Malabago 3, Taplah 2, Gutilban 1, Foronda 0.

Quarters: 21-23, 42-41, 69-64, 94-81.

Tags: Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup

Green Archers spiral further, lose to UE; CSB drops a close one on Baste

By | June 4, 2009 | 1:30 am |

The slump continues as the De La Salle Green Archers fell to University of the East, 63-74, on June 3 in the FilOil-Flying V Preseason Manny V. Pangilinan Cup at the FilOil-Flying V Arena.

The Archers totally lost grip of the match when UE accrued a 15-2 spurt in the final five minutes of the third quarter to trail, 47-65. A James Martinez three early in the fourth was the Warriors’ biggest lead, 68-48.

Martinez led East with 15 points with Elmer Espiritu accumulating 14 and Paul Lee scoring 12 markers.

Peejay Barua headed De La Salle with 17 points. Arvie Bringas helped out with ten.

This is the Archers’ third straight setback in FilOil, falling to an even 3-3 standing. This marks their sixth consecutive loss counting the ones in the Nike Summer League.

The Taft-based team is tied with Far Eastern University and San Beda College in second, behind Jose Rizal University. All four made it to the quarterfinals.

The Archers will finish the eliminations against Colegio de San Juan de Letran on June 5 to determine the pairings in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, College of Saint Benilde bowed to San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 66-71.

Mark de Guzman notched ten points for the Blazers.

Gilbert Bulawan of San Sebastian topscored with 19 points with Jimbo Aquino helping out with ten.

Scores

San Sebastian 71 – Bulawan 19, Aquino 10, Maiquez 9, Sangalang 8, Maconocido 6, Pascual 5, Najorda 4, Semira 3, Dizon 3, Raymundo 2, Gatchalian 2, Gusi 0, del Rio 0.

Benilde 66 – de Guzman 10, dela Paz 9, Mañalac 9, Lastimosa 7, Dalanon 6, Morial 6, Tan 6, Argamino 5, Abolucion 4, Manlapaz 3, Umlas 1, Sia 0, Wong 0.

Quarters: 20-13, 32-32, 50-50, 71-66.

East 74 – Martinez 15, Espiritu 14, Lee 12, Llagas 9, Acuña 6, Lingganay 4, Tagarda 4, Bandaying 3, Noble 2, Acibar 2, Duran 2, Reyes 1, Pelopero 0, Zamar 0, Alabanza 0.

De La Salle 63 – Barua 17, Bringas 10, Webb 9, Bagatsing 6, Marata 5, Villanueva 4, Tolentino 4, Banal 3, Revilla 2, Mangahas 2, Andrada 1, Reyes 0, Atkins 0.

Quarters: 23-19, 43-38, 65-47, 74-63.

Tags: Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup

Dull Arrows?

By | June 3, 2009 | 2:09 pm |

A number of Lasallians in the community are alarmed with the rut the De La Salle Green Archers are experiencing right now. Well, when was the last time you heard they went on a five-game losing streak?

The slump started with a 73-74 squeaker against Lyceum of the Philippines University-Manila on May 22 in the Nike Summer League. This was followed by another heartbreaker against Far Eastern University also in the NSL.

To make matters worse were two routs courtesy of San Sebastian College-Recoletos and Adamson University in the FilOil-Flying V Preseason Manny V. Pangilinan Cup last week. Just yesterday, the Archers dropped out of the NSL for good after a double overtime loss to the Pirates.

Granted it is a running tally of the two preseason leagues they are participating in, still it is a cause for concern. Here are some factors which I consider are key points in the Green Archers’ recent fall in performance.

Fatigue. After they returned from their training camp in Chicago, this was being pointed out as culprit number one as the team adjusted from the time difference and the weather. But that could not be totally the case since the Archers won their first two games back albeit showing some sluggishness, especially now that they have been already in the country for almost three weeks.

Some say it is because they were playing games in almost near succession having to make up from the backlog they accumulated that the Archers are burning themselves out early. This now leads us to the next point.

Scheduling. From their first week back, they played three games in the NSL, winning two. They were supposed to face University of the East in the FilOil-Flying V tourney a day after losing to Lyceum in the NSL.

Somewhat of a providence, UE requested to postpone the game since the core of the team will also play on the same day for Cobra Energy in the PBL. However, that meant a back-to-back today.

If they have won in the knockout match against the Pirates, it would be four games straight capped by Colegio de San Juan de Letran on Friday. One would need NBA-level conditioning to be able to play consistently four days straight.

Then there was this snafu in the FEU game where team management was not aware that the match was moved to an earlier time.

But this would be just a cop out since almost all teams which are participating in at least two leagues would go through these stretches in their schedules, not counting the players who are pulling off double or triple duty for the National Team and in the PBL.

Lack of focus. Some quarters claim that since classes already started, the players’ attention has been divided between hitting the books and pounding the hardcourt and there was little transition in between. It was like they were playing basketball the whole summer then here comes their academic load out in the corner.

And I say, tell that to Mapua Institute of Technology which has a quarterly academic calendar. But I digress.

There is no point to this since none of our players have commitments other than to De La Salle.

Lack of overall effort. Considering how the schedule of the remaining games panned out, there is this little devil in me who is saying that the Archers are pacing themselves so that they do not totally burn themselves out. Their lackluster start against the Stags attests to that. The defense and the energy were not there. It was as if they were just running around to get it over and done with.

Which I quickly counter with the notion that the Archers never play just to compete and they always exert enough effort to at least go for the win and lose, not because they slacked off but because the other team just worked harder.

Feeling out period. Granted the team is still adjusting playing without its top scorer and top rebounder, the core has been practicing together for months now. Maybe they are still looking for the next leader who will step up or maybe they are still determining who will replace JVee Casio as the go-to guy. Or MAYBE the players are feeling the pressure as the competition for roster slots are in its tightest in years as a bumper crop of greenhorns eager to see action.

However, this is also true for almost all teams which are going through a transition, figuring out their rotation and whatever they are experimenting on.

Experimentation. If you have this much ammunition, you would want to find out what works best and maximize that. This is the quandary head coach Franz Pumaren is going through right now.

This was evident when they went to Maui Villanueva in the post in successive possessions against Lyceum-Manila. There were times when some players would go DNP-CD just because.

Going back to what I have said in the previous point, this is par for the course for almost everyone.

Endgame poise. In connection to the two previous points, there is an apparent vacuum on who would step up in the clutch. I have noticed that different players have topscored for the team, which is good in the team concept but sometimes a hole in the wall in the endgame.

Some supporters are clamoring that the veterans need to step up and deliver. Not that I am discounting the abilities of the older guys, but maybe the younger ones have a stronger fortitude when it comes to pressure packed situations.

We already have had players like those in the mold of Casio and Renren Ritualo who gave us memorable performances even if they were just rookies. And despite getting blocked by Larry Fonacier twice, then sophomore Mark Cardona showed what true grit is when he went for the shot in that game.

With every close shave the Archers encounter this preseason, it is a peg in the experience bank for the young ones and should be a driving motivation for the vets to step up and stand out.

It is hard to pinpoint what is actually bothering the green and white crew since I basically refuted myself in every point I made. The key to remember here is that a combination of all of these factors COULD BE the reason for the losing streak but they are not necessarily the only causes for all we know.

The light at the end of the tunnel in all of this is that it is still the preseason and the real war does not begin more than a month from now. That is ample time to make adjustments, fix whatever needs fixing, and at the same time, sharpen those dull arrows.

Tags: Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup, Nike Summer League

Falcons swoop down on Archers in Filoil tiff

By | May 31, 2009 | 6:43 pm |

Posted in Philstar

Adamson U relied on its fluid offense to hack out a 83-65 rout of still off-form Dela Salle U for its sixth straight win in the Filoil-Flying V Pre-Season MVP Cup yesterday.

Leo Canuday and rookie Allen Etrone combined for four three-pointers in the last period to finish with 14 and 11 points, respectively, for the red-hot Falcons who warded off every comeback by the Archers to conclude their eliminations tally at 6-1 in Group A.

Fiery guard Jeric Canada and Austin Manera added 23 more to pace the Falcons.

“The game plan was to really dictate the tempo of the game,” said Adamson coach Leo Austria. “Everytime they run, we contain it.”

Adamson posted their biggest lead at 22 points twice in the fourth quarter as the Archers, who stretched their losing skid to two after their return from a three-week training from the US, failed to hit their stride and missed on five straight three pointers until the five-minute mark.

The Archers trailed majority of the contest behind the 11-point losing efforts of Bader Malabes and James Mangahas.
Game Photos

Scores
Adamson 83 — Canuday 14,Manera 12, Canada 11, Etrone 11, Colina 9, Cabrera 8, Galinato 6, Nuyles 5, Importante 3, Santos 2, Lozada 2, Camson 0, Alvarez 0, Yambot 0.

DLSU 65 — Mangahas 11, Malabes 11, Barua 9, Marata 8, WEbb 6, Bringas 6, Co 4, Bagatsing 4, Atkins 2, Tolentino 2, Paredes 2, Banal 0, Revilla 0, Reyes 0, Andrada 0.

QUARTER SCORES: 20-11, 36-24, 60-41, 83-65.

Tags: Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup

San Sebastian sinks Green Archers in FilOil tourney; CSB wins in double OT

By | May 27, 2009 | 9:38 pm |

The De La Salle Green Archers suffered the consequences of a slow start, succumbing to San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 73-59, on May 27 at the FilOil-Flying V Preseason Manny V. Pangilinan Cup at the FilOil-Flying V Arena.

The Stags stringed together a 15-2 run midway of the first quarter to go ahead, 25-9. Coupled with the Archers’ lax defense, the first ten minutes ended with DLSU trailing 13-30.

San Sebastian then started heating up from the perimeter as a flurry of three-pointers gave the Recto-based squad its largest gap of 33, 58-25, from a Jimbo Aquino triple, 8:16 of the third.

The green and white squad tried its hardest to come back in the final canto, managing to cut the lead to a more respectable 14-point spread.

This is De La Salle’s first defeat in the FilOil tournament, but its third consecutive counting the two setbacks suffered in the Nike Summer League the past few days.

Former Staglet Arvie Bringas scored 12 points and Bader Malabes had ten to lead the Archers.

Aquino pumped 18 points with Raymond Maconocido notching 12 for Baste. Former Nokia RP Youth Team member Ian Sangalang had ten markers.

Meanwhile, sister team College of Saint Benilde scored a victory against University of the Philippines, 98-94, in double overtime for the Blazers’ second win.

Jeff Morial scored on two freethrows with :09.5 to go to give the lead to CSB for good. Woody Co had a chance to tie the count but he was bothered by two defenders as RJ Argamino streaked at the other end for a layup to beat the buzzer to seal the tally.

Carlo Lastimosa topscored for Benilde with 21 points as Mark de Guzman put up 16. Jacob Manlapaz scored 15 markers and Argamino ended up with 14.

Mikee and Martin Reyes combined for 40 points for the Maroons. Co finished with 17, while Mark Juruena and Alvin Padilla had 14 and ten, respectively.

Boxscores:

Benilde 98 – Lastimosa 21, de Guzman 16, Manlapaz 15, Argamino 14,
dela Paz 8, Morial 7, Sia 4, Wong 4, Abolucion 4, Umlas 3, Tan 2,
Martinez 0, Tajonera 0, Manalac 0.

UP 94 – Reyes, Mi. 21, Reyes, Ma. 19, Co 17, Juruena 14, Padilla 10,
Astorga 9, Gamboa 4, Braganza 0, Lao 0, Marfori 0, Gomez 0, Hipolito
0.

Quarters: 18-23, 39-44, 57-58, 84-84, 88-88, 98-94.

San Sebastian 73 – Aquino 18, Maconocido 12, Sangalang 10, Najorda 7, Raymundo 7, Abueva 6, Pascual 6, del Rio 5, Bulawan 2, Semira 0.

De La Salle 59 – Bringas 12, Malabes 10, Webb 8, Bagatsing 7, Mangahas 6, Paredes 4, Barua 4, Tolentino 3, Banal 3, Revilla 2, Atkins 0, Reyes 0, Co 0, Marata 0, Andrada 0.

Quarters: 30-13, 55-23, 63-41, 73-59.

Tags: Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup

MVP Cup: Archers stay unbeaten, off to US

By | April 25, 2009 | 7:43 am |

posted in philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines – La Salle continued to stamp its class in the Filoil-Flying V Pre-Season MVP Cup as it fashioned out a 91-69 victory over Mapua for its third win in a row at the Filoil-Flying V Arena in San Juan yesterday.

Joshua Webb came away with 14 points while Gabriel Banal and PJ Barua added 13 points apiece as the Archers stayed unbeaten before leaving for the US tomorrow for an alumni convention and training which will last for two weeks.

“We’re here in this tournament to gauge the strength and weaknesses of our team especially now that we have a lot of new players,” said La Salle head coach Franz Pumaren.

Rookies Arvie Bringas, Joseph Tolentino, Gabriel Banal, and Yutien Andrada combined for 34 points to provide the needed backup to the team’s mainstays.

The Archers dominated the Cardinals from start to finish, leading by as many as 27 points, 87-60, in the last quarter.

Game pics  HERE

Scores

DLSU 91 – Webb 14, Banal 13, Barua 13, Bringas 10, Mangahas 9, Atkins 8, Andrada 6, Revilla 5, Tolentino 5, Villanueva 4, Malabes 2, Reyes 2, Ferdinand 0, Co 0

MIT 69 – Cornejo 16, Mangahas 14, Sarangay 8, Cinco 8, Guillermo 7, Pascual 6, Soriano 6, Acosta 4, Espinosa 2.

Quarter scores: 26-15, 45-30, 69-47, 91-69


Tags: Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup

MVP Cup: Green Archers Edge UP

By | April 23, 2009 | 12:15 am |

The Green Archers edged UP, in a cliffhanger, 67-66 at the Arena this afternoon. The win somewhat made up for the 1 point loss the Archers suffered at the hands of the same UP team in the Fr. Martin Cup tournament held earlier this year.

The game marked the much-anticipated debut of Arvie Bringas, former center of the NCAA Jr. champion San Sebastian Staglets. Bringas did not disappoint, and displayed his inside prowess on both offense and defense. He topscored with 12 points despite being given limited playing time by Coach Franz.

The Archers dominated the first quarter, 19-14 before a spirited UP offense led by red shirting Silungan enabled them to take the half at 28-34. Some ragged play by the Archers on offense resulted in several miscues which were translated into fastbreaks by the Maroons. Defensively, the Archer press failed to blunt the frenetic UP offense.

After the halftime break, Archers buckled down to work, led by Simon Atkins who scored on successive possessions to cut the lead to a single basket at the end of the 3rd. UP kept it close throughout the 2nd half behind the hot hands of Silungan and ex-Zobel player Reyes. Every time the Archers would take the lead, either player would hit a basket to either tie the score or give UP the lead.

Although Webb, Malabes, Barua, and Mangahas failed to match their usual point production, their aggressive drives resulted either in field goals or foul shots. Bringas also made his presence felt in the paint on offense, causing UP veteran Woody to foul out. Our guards would set up isolation plays for Bringas, and he succeeded in getting to the basket or managed to fish for fouls which he translated into points at the foul line.

An interesting subplot was the matchup between former UPIS players who are now with La Salle against their counterparts from La Salle schools who now suit up for UP. On the UP roster are Mikee Reyes, the LSGH pg last year, and Martin Reyes from DLSZ. Former UPIS players who are now with La Salle are Villanueva and Marata. Martin Reyes, (no, this is another Martin) who used to man the paint for LSGH, made it to the Archer lineup, although he didn’t play today.

UP paraded a couple of players who are not yet eligible to play this UAAP season: Silungan and Gingerich. Silungan is a tall wing player who studied in the US, and who can light it up from the 3 point area. He torched the Archer defense throughout the game, including a last second catch and shoot to end the first half. Interestingly, Silungan considered Ateneo and San Beda before ending up in UP.

The closeness of the game showed that the Archers still have a long way to go before they can be considered ready for the UAAP wars. The veterans such as Barua, Mangahas, and Ferdinand do not seem to be as sharp as expected, and the rookies, while full of potential, are still untested.

Simon Atkins, though, seems to be ready to go to war already. Perhaps the competition at the pg position is keeping him on his toes. Tolentino proved his worth in the closing minutes, sinking a corner trey and a jumper to keep the game close. Marata didn’t get much floor time, and Andrada showed that he still has a way to go. The 3 point accuracy was also not up to par with previous games – this will be critical in opening up the lane for our interior operators such as Bringas, Villanueva, Mendoza, and Batricevic.

If the UAAP season were to start tomorrow, we’d probably not be one of the favorites given the current state of the team. But there are a couple of months to go, and the coaches have a plan for the team.

With this bunch of veterans and sophomores/rookies, the team can only get better.

Game photos at http://greenarchersph.multiply.com

Game scores:

DLSU – Bringas 12, Atkins 10, Bagatsing 6, Mangahas 6, Malabes 5, Barua 5 Tolentino 5, Villanueva 4, Revilla 4, Webb 4, Co 4, Marata 2, Ferdinand 0, Andrada 0

UP – Silungan 26, Co 11, Reyes 9, Juruena 6, Lopez 2, Braganza 4, Padilla 3, Reyes 2, Lao 1, Gomez 2, Marfori 0, Gingerich 0

Quarter scores: 19-14, 28-34, 50-52, 67-66

Tags: Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup

MVP Cup: Green Archers seizes thriller opener against Ateneo

By | April 19, 2009 | 8:23 am |

With a UAAP-like atmosphere, the De La Salle Green Archers defeated rival Ateneo de Manila, 67-65, in the FilOil-Flying V Preseason Manny V. Pangilinan Cup opener at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan on April 18.

A bevy of Archers, from up and coming main team players to battle-scarred veterans, gave key contributions in the clutch to stave off a determined Ateneo side.

Tata Marata sandwiched a Jai Reyes three-pointer with his own trifectas to give the Green Archers a four-point margin going into the last two minutes, 62-58.

After Noynoy Baclao failed to complete a three-point play, Maui Villanueva was determined to score off least year’s UAAP men’s basketball MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini that his second reverse lay in rocked the green and white gallery to make it 64-60 with a minute and 12 ticks remaining in the game.

With Reyes making two of three freethrow attempts, Bader Malabes then drove off Kirk Long in an isolation play, getting a foul from Al-Hussaini for an and-one play and a five-point margin, 67-62, exactly 19 seconds to go.

Nevertheless, DLSU was not out of the woods yet as Reyes converted a three less than nine seconds elapsed. After rookie Joel Tolentino flubbed his trip to the charity, Eric Salamat played hero but missed his attempt from beyond the arc at the buzzer.

“It was a welcome game for my rookies,” said De La Salle head coach Franz Pumaren. “I am happy with my rookies and they responded well.”

The five on the floor for DLSU in the key stretch were rookies Marata and Tolentino, sophomore Villanueva, and veterans Malabes and James Mangahas.

Malabes topscored with 12 points and five assists. Other Archers who had significant stats were Tolentino with six markers and three steals, Villanueva with four, eight boards, and two thefts, and Mangahas with six rebounds and six feeds.

Ferdinand also contributed fiver rebounds and three blocked shots.

At the other end, Reyes led ADMU with 16 points, four rebounds, and five steals. Al-Hussaini had a double-double afternoon with ten and ten along with two assists.

Baclao contributed nine points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Salamat had eight, four boards, six dimes, and five steals.

With loud drums, an ecstatic crowd, physical play by both sides, and a number of referees’ lapses, it seemed that the collegiate basketball season started earlier than usual.

The Taft-based squad started out hot with a 7-0 run and set the tone early with its smooth ball movement, hustle, and transition offense. The Archers led by as many as ten, 22-12, after Peejay Barua completed a fastbreak with touch passes from Tolentino and Malabes, 7:01 in the second period.

Nevertheless, Pumaren downplayed his team’s progress despite winning against the school’s deep-seated rival in several instances after the UAAP basketball season.

“Everybody is trying to get in shape. We are just 10% in better shape than Ateneo,” Pumaren opined. “Preseason tournaments are a getting to know each other period among the coaching staff and the nucleus of the team.”

With the constant pushing and shoving and numerous cheapshots, things heated up when an altercation broke out in the 3:15 mark of the third quarter.

With the score pegged at 44-41 in favor of DLSU, Al-Hussaini gave Mangahas a hard forearm at the back of the head as the latter was going for a layup. Mangahas did not take it in stride and confronted the hulking Blue Eagle.

Then in comes Salamat to verbalize his thoughts which turned into a shoving contest between him and Mangahas and a technical foul assessed on both.

“Ateneo-La Salle is always an emotional game,” Pumaren remarked. “It is part and parcel of the rivalry already. It adds spice and creates more awareness in collegiate basketball.”

There were in only two occasions Ateneo took the upperhand with the last one courtesy of a Bacon Austria trey from a Salamat assist, 2:11 of the third, 46-45.

This was quickly countered by successive heaves from beyond the arc by Joshua Webb and Malabes. The third year Fil-Bahraini finished the 9-0 rally with a teardrop to start the final period, 54-46, 9:35 in the clock.

The Ateneans had one more go as they went near by one, 55-56, with a Salamat spin move lay up, 3:44 remaining, which forced Pumaren to sue for time to quell the momentum. It was then at that point that the Archers took over starting with a Marata three-pointer at the corner.

Game photos at http://greenarchersph.multiply.com

Scores:

La Salle 87 – Malabes 12, Webb 8, Bagatsing 7, Marata 6, Tolentino 6, Barua 5, Villanueva 4, Atkins 4, Revilla 3, Ferdinand 3, Co 3, Mangahas 2, Batricevic 2, Andrada 2, Banal 0, Paredes 0.

Ateneo 65 – Reyes 16, Al-Husseini 10, Baclao 9, Salamat 8, Salva 4, Baldos 4, Chua 4, Austria 3, Lon 3, Golla 2, Buenafe 2, Tiongson 0, GOnzaga 0, De Chavez 0 , Burke 0.

Quarter Scores: 11-8, 31-27, 52-46, 67-65

Tags: Ateneo Blue Eagles, De La Salle Green Archers, Fil-oil Flying V MVP Cup
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