UAAP champ La Salle averts 2nd straight upset, bounces back to keep scrappy FEU winless
MANILA, Philippines – Defending UAAP men’s basketball champion La Salle barely avoided a second straight upset at the hands of lower-ranked teams in the Season 87 tournament, this time bouncing back at the expense of winless FEU, 68-62, at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, September 25.
Reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao once again showed his all-around chops in the tight escape, barely missing a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists with 3 steals to boot as the Green Archers rose to a 4-1 record in solo second place.
Frontcourt partner Michael Phillips kept the La Salle engine running smoothly with a game-high 13-point, 14-board double-double as Earl Abadam and Henry Agunanne added 9 points each.
“Again, it’s just another challenging opportunity for us. I told them… can I go back to our UE game? UE didn’t upset us. They really deserved the win,” said La Salle head coach Topex Robinson.
“UE just gave us something that really helped us. I guess, it kinda cleaned up the pressure of not losing, like it’s a sin to lose. What it did to us as a team was it grounded us. It just reminded us that this season for us is gonna be hard and even harder, just like what happened today with FEU.”
Down by as many as 13, 32-45, midway through the third quarter, FEU showed just how tired it was with its losing skid, suddenly exploding with a 20-6 go-ahead run to clinch its first lead of the game, 52-51, off a Miguel Ona tip-in 14 seconds into the fourth.
The Tamaraws, though partly successful in keeping in stride with the champs, eventually let go of a 56-55 lead with 6:21 to play as the Archers shot ahead with a small, yet pivotal 7-0 swing, capped by an Agunanne split trip at the line, 62-56, at the 3:41 mark, immediately following a crafty reverse layup.
Big man Mo Konateh last got FEU within a single possession off a layup with 2:56 to play, 60-63, before breaks of the game eventually went La Salle’s way, the most crucial moment being an untimely Jorick Bautista inbound turnover with 61 ticks left as the Tamaraws remained behind by 5, 62-67.
Konateh, after four somewhat silent games donning the FEU colors, finally had a game to remember with a massive 12-point, 25-rebound double-double, coming 2 rebounds shy of the men’s record on the boards set by Ateneo legend Ange Kouame in 2018.
Rookie guard Janrey Pasaol scattered 13 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals, but still showed freshman flaws with 8 of the Tamaraws’ 13 turnovers.
The Scores
La Salle 68 – Phillips 13, Quiambao 12, Abadam 9, Agunanne 9, Gonzales 8, Gollena 6, David 3, Macalalag 3, Ramiro 3, Marasigan 2, Austria 0, Dungo 0, Rubico 0.
FEU 62 – Pasaol 13, Konateh 12, Pre 11, Bautista 9, Alforque 6, Montemayor 5, Nakai 4, Ona 2, Daa 0, Bagunu 0.
Quarters: 19-13, 38-28, 51-50, 68-62.
– Rappler.com