All posts tagged NU Bulldogs

Roll over. Play dead. Sound familiar? Sure. They’re dog tricks. Today, we were playing the Bulldogs of NU. And with NU’s on-and-off (mostly off) performance this season, we were kinda hoping we’d see those tricks on the court, to be exhibited by NU after we beat them. Well, we did see a team roll over and play dead. But not the ‘Dogs. Unexpectedly, it was our team that did those tricks. And very little else. A big egg from the field in the final 7 minutes of the game spelled disaster for the Archers, and wrote finis to their faint playoff aspirations.

So the season ended prematurely for us with still a game to go. Not with a bang as many of us had hoped, but with a whimper, the Archers falling apart in crunch time to get blown out by NU, 40-56 after entering the final minutes with the lead. The loss gave UST free passage into the playoffs regardless of the outcome of their last 2 games. In a dramatic fall from their traditional competitiveness, the Archers failed to get past the eliminations for the second time in 3 years.

It was another exercise in offensive futility, leading at the end of 3 quarters, 35-32 only to score a measly 5 points in the final 10 minutes against the weak defending Bulldogs while allowing them to explode with 24. How many single digit quarters have the Archers had this year? We managed to do it in both our games against NU, the first being a 2-point quarter in the first round. Today we had two of those, so Coach Eric must really have figured out our system for his team to do it repeatedly to us. Or maybe our coaches haven’t figured out the puzzle yet after 13 games. And with only 1 game left in our season, it’s highly unlikely that they will get it right. That is, if they even know what’s wrong in the first place.

Is it a question of competence? Or ability to inspire and motivate our players? Why haven’t they managed to bring out the best in our players? Or conversely, why have they repeatedly managed to bring out the worst performance from this team this season? At this point, it doesn’t matter anymore. The sad reality is that the team’s leadership failed to deliver the expected results this year, despite an extensive and expensive training program that included foreign trips.

The loss brings the team to 5-8, with only one team failing to beat us – UP. At least we swept one school this year. Read more…

The Green Archers fight for survival continues tomorrow as they play the also-ran NU Bulldogs. Game time is at 1PM.

The bad news is that even if La Salle manages to win this game, their Final Four aspirations will end if UST defeats FEU in the second match. The good news though is that the Tamaraws are still in the running for the second spot in the semis so expect them to play inspired basketball against the Growling Tigers.

But first things first, the Archers need to dispose the Bulldogs, whom they defeated in the first round. The team showed in their comeback victory against UP last Sunday that they thrive on a free-flowing, open court style where they get to maximize their natural offensive abilities. Let’s hope they carry the momentum in their next games.

Entering the Final Four still remains a tall order for the Green Archers but we remain optimistic that they can pull it off. Two more wins and a lot of luck.

Refuse To Lose!

Quick. What is big,  green, ugly, and has a reputation for causing warts?

If after watching our first round encounter against NU, you answered “Green Archer basketball”, I wouldn’t blame you. Close, but now quite. The usual answer is “a toad”.

You may ask, why the question? Well, if you saw the game live, you might have asked something similar. Or stalked out of the arena after the Alma Mater song to get some mouthwash to gargle away the bad taste the game left in your mouth. And I wouldn’t blame you if you broke out in rashes with every missed shot in the second half. Some might even mistake the rashes for the beginnings of warts.

The Archers picked up their second win by muzzling the ‘dogs in what could be called the street brawl equivalent of a basketball game. It sure wasn’t purty, but they got it done, beating NU into submission, 74-63. For some, the win was as excruciatingly painful as a root canal without anesthesia, particularly in the 3rd quarter where the Archers managed to score all of 2 points, probably a league record or close to it. Thankfully, NU also had their own version of offensive ineptitude, only putting up 13 points during this quarter to allow us to hang on to the remnants of a once-large 23 point lead which shrank to just 12 after 3 periods. With the Bulldogs snarling and snapping at their heels, the Green Archers looked like they were about to become roadkill. Some furious tinkering with the Archers’ lineup in the last 10 minutes managed to stem the bleeding, allowing them to keep an 11-point margin at the end.

One thing’s for sure, the 2-point total and 15 total points scored by both teams in the third quarter will remain a trivia item for a long time. And our 15 second half points? Against UP, I wrote about a Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde persona of the Archers. Nowhere was it more vividly evident than in the tale of two halves yesterday. 59 points in the first half. 15 in the second. Are we talking about the same team? Read more…

Coming off their first win of the season last Saturday, the Green Archers hope to climb to .500 tomorrow as they clash with the NU Bulldogs. Game time is at 3PM.

Both teams split their season series last year. The Archers struggled to contain Emmanuel Mbe who averaged 18 points in their two meetings. With the explosive Bobby Ray Parks on board this season, La Salle will have another player to worry about.

Last game saw the Archers dominate the paint against a smaller UP squad. They will face a tougher challenge versus an NU team that is expected to play with a sense of urgency.

The Bulldogs’ current standing of 1-3 does not seem to reflect how good they are. Two of their losses could have gone their way if they did not commit so many end-game lapses. The situation they are in makes them a dangerous team to play against. The Bulldogs will surely show a lot more aggressiveness tomorrow and do whatever it takes to avoid going 1-4 which would severely hamper their bid to at least make the Final 4.

For the Archers, they should continue to get their big men more involved on offense. Both Arnold Van Opstal and Yutien Andrada showed last Saturday what they can do scoring-wise if given the opportunity. Let’s all hope Norbert can finally get his groove on offense.

The Archers also need to work on their defense. Currently they are last in the league allowing an average of 74 points per game. Defense has always been a trademark of past great Green Archer squads so if they want to go far this season, they need to improve on this area.

With both teams needing to win to improve their standing, expect this game to be tight throughout.

The Green Archers survived yet another potential 4^th quarter meltdown to edge the NU Bulldogs, 59-56 in their first game of the second round. With the win, the Archers fortified their 4^th place spot with a 5-3 record while creating some separation from closest pursuers NU and UST, both of which are at 3-5. The win was payback for NU’s victory in the second round last year which eliminated us from playoff contention. Interestingly, the final score was a point away from being almost a mirror image of their game in the first round, which NU won 55-59.

The Archers again displayed an inconsistent game, dominating NU in stretches but failing to score and allowing NU to come roaring back at the end. At least, in contrast to previous games against FEU and Adamson, they stood fast to pull off the win after NU came to within 1 point twice in the last quarter at 53-52 on a Terso drive with 2:11 to go, and again at 57-56 on another Terso layup. Surprisingly, it was a couple of rookies who bailed the Archers out: Papot scored inside the lane at 1:49 to stretch the lead to 55-52, and Vosotros nailed a layup on the break, 57-52, and again Vosotros converted 2 free throws, 59-56 with time down to 6 seconds. If this is an indication of the heart of our rookies, then the future indeed looks bright. Vosotros and Paredes combined for 11 out of the 16 Archer points in the final period. Read more…

The Green Archers avoided another 4th quarter collapse to get back at first round tormentor NU, 59-56 at the Araneta Coliseum today. Rookie Almond Vosotros coolly sank a pair of free throws with 7.3 seconds to go to ensure the win after NU pg Terso brought NU to within a point when he scored on a drive over our interior defense.

Vosotros poured in 16 points, including 4 clutch points in the last 1:30 of the game, while Team Captain Atkins poured in 13 points on 3 out of 4 shooting from the rainbow territory to help keep the Bulldogs at bay. Papot Paredes shone on defense, blocking or altering at least 4 shots on lane incursions by the NU players, who attacked the interior whenever they could.

With the Archers leading by 1 with 13.3 seconds left and NU with only 2 fouls, the Bulldogs went on a fouling spree to try to force La Salle to the free throw line. Vosotros recovered an loose ball which was tipped away from Andrada, was fouled, and coolly sank the foul shots with 7 seconds left. NU tried to run the ball upcourt, but failed to score and the Archers pulled off the win. Interestingly, 3 of the 5 Archers at the end of the game were rookies: Vosotros, dela Paz, and Paredes, showing Coach Dindo’s faith in these 3 top rookies. Nico Elorde also got some playing time, scored on a nice drive, and played tough defense on the NU guards.

The Archer defense forced NU into more than 23 turnovers to limit NU to under 60 points for the 2nd time this season. The aggressive interior defense of Paredes, Andrada, Villanueva, and Ferdinand succeeded in neutralizing NU center Mbe in the second half after he compiled 9 points and 11 rebounds in the first half.

The game featured an up-and-down Archer game, doing well in the first and third quarters, while misfiring and playing tentatively in the 2nd and 4th quarters. The Archers took the first quarter, 16-12, but could not shoot straight in the second where they tallied only 7 points to maintain the lead at the half, 23-22. In the 3rd, the Archers’ defense limited NU to 12 points while they scored 20 to lead 43-34 after 3 quarters. They stretched the lead to the largest at 46-34 on an Atkins trey, but NU battled back to come closest on that Terso drive before Vosotros ensured the win.

Box Scores

DLSU 59 – Vosotros 16, Atkins 13, Paredes 6, Elorde 4, Villanueva 3, Tolentino 3, Banal 3, Dela Paz 2, Webb 2, Mendoza 2, Marata 2, Andrada 2, Tampus 1, Ferdinand 0

NU 56 – Mbe 15, Terso 15, Baloran 10, Magat 6, Mhobuntin 4, Ponferrada 3, Hermosisima 3, Javillonar 0, Eriobu 0, Tungcul 0 , Singh 0, Malanday 0

Quarter Scores: 16-12; 23-22; 43-34 59-56

If not for those two games that slipped away in the final moments, the Green Archers could have been at the top of the team standings right now. But as it is, they are currently at fourth spot and are looking to start their second round campaign on a high note as they face the team that dealt them perhaps their only convincing loss of the season. In their first round match-up, La Salle shot poorly from the field and committed a bunch of turnovers on both ends. It was basically a game they could have also won had they just shown some intensity especially on defense right from the very start.

The Bulldogs are coming off an amazing come-from-behind win over UP the other week. Down by 21 points at the start of the second half, NU simply fought their way back and finally seized the lead during the final minute of the game. That win just shows how big of an improvement this team is now not only in talent but also in terms of mental toughness. Past NU teams would have just wilted when faced with a supposedly insurmountable deficit.

The Archers had no answer for Mbe the last time around. Scoring 21 points and collaring 19 rebounds, the NU import totally dominated the paint over our big men. Expect Papot, Yutien and Ferdinand to take turns in limiting his inside production. Joshua, Jovet and Maui are also in for a tough grind against the physical frontline of NU.

Our guards need to get their outside shooting going in order to soften up the Bulldogs’ defense. The team had a hard time against Adamson’s 2-3 zone last week so if NU will apply the same strategy, it’s really important that they need to connect from the perimeter.

Our big men will play a key role in this game. For a young and lean frontline, it is quite surprising to know that the Archers lead the league in rebounding and inside points. They should come out and play with a lot of energy on the defensive end.

Entering the midway point of the season, it is important for La Salle to have some separation against NU and UST in order to solidify their place among the top four.

The Green Archers hit a big speed bump in their second game, falling to a bigger and more physical NU team today, 55-59 to even their win-loss record at 1-1. After coming off an impressive win in the opening game against UP, our team showed its relative youth and inexperience against the taller and heftier Bulldogs, showing little of the composure and confidence they exhibited . NU, which led most of the way, except for the closing seconds of the first half, survived the strong finishing kick of the Archers to pull of the win.

Another slow start

In contrast to their first game where they led from the get-go, the Archers started off flat and trailed for almost the entire first half. Although they pressured NU into 7 turnovers in the first quarter, they shot poorly from the field, hitting only 4 field goals out of 17 tries. NU’s resident import Mbe asserted his height right from the start, pouring in 10 points while pulling down 6 rebounds as NU dominated the boards, 17-8 in the first quarter to lead 10-17. The second quarter saw NU score first to threaten to pull away at 10-19, but aggressive defending limited NU to only 3 field goals in the quarter, and accurate shooting (7/13) led by the 10 points of Jovet Mendoza allowed the Archers to take the lead in the final seconds of the first half.

The 3^rd quarter saw the La Salle game unravel as the Archers misfired the field, duplicating NU’s 3 field goals for 6 points in the quarter while NU scored 18 on another dominant stretch by Mbe who singlehandedly outscored (8 points to 6) and outrebounded  (6 rebounds to 5) the entire La Salle team in the 3^rd quarter. Another poor shooting quarter saw the Archers miss 14 out of their 17 fg attempts for a low 18% while committing more turnovers, 5 to NU’s 4 as they trailed NU after 3 quarters, 30-41. NU maintained its largest lead at 32-43 at the start of the 4^th before 2 unsportsmanlike fouls on NU gave La Salle some momentum to cut the lead to 38-43. Botched defensive assignments allowed NU to penetrate the defenses and build up the lead to 43-52. Desperate attempts from long range netted the Archers 3 triples, but it was a case of too little, too late as they yielded to NU, 55-59.

Read more…