Here’s what we learned from the Green Archers’ narrow win over the Bulldogs that opened their bid for back-to-back titles.
The DLSU Green Archers and NU Bulldogs finished the opening weekend of UAAP Season 87 with a thrilling dogfight, much to the delight (and distress) of the fans.
In the first close game of the four matchups this weekend, the Archers narrowly defeated the Bulldogs with a 78-75 win, carried by Kevin Quiambao’s big minutes for La Salle and his game-winning three-pointer at the end of the fourth quarter that sealed the deal.
Claiming the victory after a close fight, DLSU opened their bid for back-to-back UAAP championships on the right note, but NU gave the defending champions a run for their money.
Here are our biggest takeaways from the fight.
KQ always comes through
Kevin Quiambao was undisputedly the main event at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum tonight.
While he was quietly productive in the first half, it was in the fourth quarter where he really came alive. After trailing the majority of the game, the reigning MVP sent the fans into a frenzy when he converted a side-step three to tie the game at 71 apiece.
With nine seconds left until the final buzzer, tensions between both sides were visibly raised. The game’s climax peaked when the Bulldogs and Archers got into a messy scramble on DLSU’s side of the court as ten men fought for possession. Much to the defending champions’ relief, the ball landed in the hands of Quiambao, who confidently threw it up from beyond the arc to notch another game-defining three and claim the Green and White’s first win of the season.
“Yung confidence naman nagmumula sa ensayo. Kung ano yung tinitira mo sa game, ‘yun ‘yung lagi mong ginagawa everyday sa practice,” Quiambao said, reflecting upon his game-winning three.
While these two big moves quickly became the game’s biggest story, Quiambao was also DLSU’s most reliable player throughout the game.
After spending a total of 32 minutes on the court, he recorded a game-high 22 points along with seven assists. His heroic efforts were also coupled with five turnovers, but this is something that the Archers, as well as DLSU Head Coach Topex Robinson, can live with.
“That’s the beauty of having him. The last possessions of the game wherein he’s gonna make the right decision,” Robinson shared. “We always tell this in our team Kevin will win games for us and he will lose games for us, the fact that he had five turnovers was just evidence of the freedom that he has.”
With a big game to start the season, Quiambao will definitely be the Archers’ star for the second year in a row.
NU’s biggest assets
Despite opening UAAP Season 87 with a loss, National University showed a steady fight throughout the game. Led by their top scorers, Jake Figueroa and PJ Palacielo who each recorded 15 points, the Bulldogs held onto the lead for the majority of the minutes.
Adding two assists to his name, Figueroa is already looking like NU’s biggest asset of the season, especially with how he took charge when the Bulldogs went on a shooting spree in the third quarter.
But this close fight was a team effort.
Another positive National University can take from this game is their pace on the attack. Quick and explosive plays by their point guards, such as the speedy Steve Nash Enriquez who contributed six assists for his side, rattled DLSU several times over and earned the Bulldogs well-deserved points. In addition, they also managed to penetrate the Archers’ defense well in the first half to close their nine-point deficit and retain the lead until the fourth.
Though this team will still be searching for their first win of the season, their performance tonight is still a promising start to their UAAP Season 87 campaign, especially as they aim to break past their back-to-back third-place finishes.
The title defense won’t come easily
If this game was any indication, winning back-to-back titles will not be easy for the Archers, especially after the departure of key players from last year’s championship run, and with the new players on the team who are facing a big learning curve.
DLSU made many notable additions since Season 86, including 6-foot-11 center Henry Agunanne and former Gilas Youth player Alex Konov, as well as Vhoris Marasigan, David Andrei Dungo, and Lian Ramiro. And though each has had impressive moments in DLSU’s productive and successful pre-season competitions, Coach Topex recognized that some of the newbies might have been facing some nerves today.
“[The jitters are] normal. I told them that if you’re not nervous, you should leave the sport because this is really something. But you have to replace it with being excited because that’s the same feeling.
“We know that this is part of the process they have to go through. I mean, it’s a learning curve for them, that’s why as much as possible, if we could give them exposure, we will. It just so happened that the game was so tight, that we relied on our veterans.”
Indeed, it was the older members of the squad who carried out today’s efforts. Team captain Mike Phillips was the team’s second-highest scorer with 12 to his name, along with two assists and one block. EJ Gollena also made his presence and improvement felt whenever he was on the floor, as he was also able to hit 10 points for the Archers.
However, the Archers can do anything but sit back and relax. NU really put DLSU’s offense to the test today, and as the Archers struggled to convert their shots in multiple stretches of the game, this was definitely a hard-fought win.
But whether it’s easy or hard, the Archers still have confidence that they will get the job done.
“We know that as advertised, most of the games we’re gonna play are going to be like this. What’s good about this experience against NU is that it’s just gonna make us better. We have to find ways to win, we know that all teams are going to be out there guns blazing every time they’re going to be up against us, and again, it’s just a challenge to the players on how they’re gonna respond to the situation,” Robinson added.
“[Tonight] they just found a way, and that’s the beauty of this team. They don’t want to give up, and just like what we always say in our alma mater, ‘Never shall we fail.'”
Images from UAAP Media Bureau.