The La Salle Green Archers continue to assert their mastery over Season 86 title rivals UP Fighting Maroons with the UAAP Season 87 Final Four on the horizon.
After one month and four days of anticipation, the La Salle Green Archers came out on top in their long-awaited rematch over the UP Fighting Maroons at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Sunday.
The Archers banked on a strong defensive effort in the second half to beat the Fighting Maroons 77-66 and secure the top seed with a 12-1 slate. Reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao led the defending champs with 15 points and five rebounds, while Mike Phillips added 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Co-captain Joshua David scored eight of his 12 points in the second half accompanied by seven boards and three steals as one of the Archers’ stabilizers.
Meanwhile, MVP hopeful JD Cagulangan led UP with 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists while Jacob Bayla finished with a career-high eight points off the bench.
However, La Salle’s victory was far from easy as UP set the pace early on with stable execution of their system. Fluidity was there, led by JD Cagulangan’s high-level scoring and playmaking for the Diliman-based squad. UP’s strong transition defense also forced La Salle into a share of errors and it seemed like they had finally cracked the Archers’ puzzle.
But as mentioned, the Archers tightened up on defense to assert their brand of basketball against the Maroons. UP’s offense stagnated as a result, while the Archers went on their own scoring sprees as Cagulangan tried to keep the Maroons afloat.
UP was limited to 23 points in the second half, accompanied by a 5-of-28 shooting clip (17.9 percent) compared to La Salle’s 37 points built on a 14-of-31 clip (45.2 percent) led by David’s eight-point effort.
Sunday’s game is a huge statement for the defending champs, as it showed their continued mastery over their biggest rivals for a title repeat. On the other hand, this will be a major concern for UP, given their struggle to maintain a strong start once La Salle adjusted in the second half.
With everything said and done, here are three of our takeaways from Sunday’s long-awaited rematch at the Araneta Coliseum.
La Salle’s depth built on discipline and defined roles
Behind La Salle stars KQ and Phillips are sound contributors who can put up solid and timely contributions for the team. For instance, JC Macalalag chipped in nine points against UP, which included a triple that gave La Salle a 65-55 advantage at the 6:36 mark of the fourth quarter.
Then there’s backup big Raven Gonzales, with four of his six points proving to be crucial in keeping the Maroons at bay in the final minutes. One-and-done guard Lian Ramiro only finished with two points but showed heart by pulling down four rebounds along with three assists in 18 minutes and 35 seconds of play.
It won’t show up in the stat sheets, but EJ Gollena tried his best to slow down Cagulangan as he tried to will UP back into the game. Co-captain David has also been an all-around contributor, averaging 5.75 rebounds and 4.5 assists along with 5.75 points per game.
David is just as crucial in close games, with his buckets either giving the Archers some cushion or helping them stage late-game comebacks. For instance, his final three-pointer against UP gave the Archers a 68-58 advantage with 4:27 left in regulation. Or against FEU, when his lone field goal cut the Tamaraws’ lead to 47-46 with 4:38 left in regulation.
“I think what we did as a staff is giving clarity to everybody. You know, even Henry Agunnane was solid. And then we try to make sure that they don’t get lost along the lines. Kasi I’ve played, most of my coaches have played, and we know the feeling pag hindi ka sigurado sa role mo,” La Salle head coach Topex Robinson told The GAME in a follow-up chat.
“So kami mismo nagre-reach out sa players namin…We know if they’re struggling so we get to talk to them and ask them how we can serve them better. So I guess by having that kind of relationship within the team and our players, it kind of put us in a good space na this is a place that we’re gonna thrive and grow. So ‘yun ‘yung palagi namin nire-remind sa isa’t isa.”
And it’s hard not to appreciate the caliber of La Salle’s bench as a scrappy bunch of players willing to get dirty for the team’s sake. Perhaps this type of depth is just another reflection of La Salle’s championship-winning mindset — one that pays utmost respect to the game through a never-ending pursuit of growth with no shortcuts.
No more controversy, but…
First of all, it’s a relief that the game wasn’t marred by a huge scuffle that led to benches being cleared and expletives being exchanged. However, that’s not to say that tensions have cooled down all the way, either.
For instance, there was that slight altercation in the second quarter when UP’s Francis Lopez held Vhoris Marasigan’s arm as they came off an EJ Gollena screen at the 8:47 mark. The pair got tangled up in a stoppage of play, where Lopez shoved Marasigan which resulted in the handing out of double technical fouls.
If you were at Araneta Coliseum, then you might have also heard the loud boos toward Topex Robinson from the UP crowd, and toward Reyland Torres and JD Cagulangan from the La Salle faithful. Robinson and Torres, of course, were the central figures involved in the “spitgate” issue that muddied their Round 1 meeting.
Then there were the post-game handshakes — which caused some buzz on social media — where some UP assistant coaches seemingly ignored Robinson. One assistant had his hands behind his back, while other deputies simply walked past the La Salle mentor as he approached them.
Players such as Harold Alarcon, Reyland Torres, and Janjan Felicilda also walked past Robinson, while UP captain Gerry Abadiano seemingly had his back turned as Robinson passed by their area. Although on the flip side, Lopez and Terence Fortea willingly offered their hands for a high five and handshake with the La Salle mentor.
A huge question ahead of this game was how both teams would compose themselves after the last meetings’ incident heightened their tensions to an all-time high. And while it’s quite unsurprising, Sunday’s game quickly answered our question.
Moving forward, longer-than-usual barriers to separate will remain in Araneta’s backstage area, while the hallway at the Mall of Asia Arena dugouts will feature dividers when these two teams meet again in the Final Four.
Here’s hoping that things will no longer escalate into anything that could cast a shadow over a rivalry featuring two of the country’s best basketball programs. It’s one thing to dislike each other due to competition, but it’s another story when one keeps their emotions unchecked as a result of that tension.
Can UP resolve their ‘immaturity’?
UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon didn’t mince words post-game in calling out his team’s immaturity throughout their past two games, which included a 20-point blowout to the NU Bulldogs.
“I would say it’s not a cause for alarm, but really a cause for concern. It’s not because we lost, it’s more of ‘yung immaturity namin na matalo nang ganon in both games. In this game particularly, we led by as much as 11 points. You could say that the first 15 minutes of the game, you felt ‘yung control namin sa laro on both ends,” Luanzon said.
Luanzon then cited “immature decisions” such as being unaware of the shot clock and not setting screens for the ball handlers along with the aforementioned Lopez-Marasigan scuffle. Turnovers were also an issue as the Maroons lost the ball 11 times in the second half alone.
“Coach Gold [Monteverde] had a lot of things to say after the game to them. But at the same time, ni-remind din na we’re still in control of where we are right now. We’re still in a good position, and the opportunity is still there. So how we respond to this as we move forward is critical,” Luanzon stressed.
It goes without saying that UP is a talented team that plays beautiful basketball when clicking. But while talent is one thing, having the right mindset and maturity to complement that will spell the difference in UP’s bid to reclaim the UAAP throne.
And with no magic potions or drills to such intangibles, it’s now up to this core to take things in stride and learn from these reality checks with two games left in their elimination round calendars.
Banner image courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.