LA SALLE pulled off a vengeful 88-79 win over league-leading University of the Philippines on Sunday night to bolster its title credentials in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.
MVP frontrunner Kevin Quiambao led the way with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals while enduring a boxer's cut near one eye as La Salle improved to 7-3 (win-loss) while dealing the Maroons only their second loss of the season.
UP fell into a tie with the NU Bulldogs at 8-2 (win-loss) with four elimination round games left, although it is already assured of at least a playoff for a Final Four spot.
“That loss to UP hurt us. We know coming into this game that UP’s going to be the barometer of this season. We try to remind everybody that this is a test of how far we’ve come as a team,” said La Salle head coach Topex Robinson.
“We had a chance the last time we played them in the first round. Things didn’t go our way, so we just came here trying to be the better version of ourselves. The challenge is for the players to step up because together, we can do great things,” he added.
Pouring literal blood, sweat, and tears late in the second frame, Quiambao drilled 11 of the last 14 points for the Archers to keep the Maroons at bay and avenge their first round loss.
Sans JD Cagulangan (hamstring) and reigning MVP Malick Diouf (sprained right wrist), CJ Cansino's 20-piece and rookie Janjan Felicilda's near double-double of 13 points and nine boards could not save UP from the depths of only its second loss to date.
In what will be a last-gasp scrap for the Final Four places, La Salle takes solo third while UP sits atop the team standings with NU.
The scores:
DLSU (88) – Quiambao 22, Nelle 17, M. Phillips 15, Policarpio 11, Escandor 11, Nonoy 3, Abadam 3, Cortez 2, Austria 2, Manuel 2, B. Phillips 0, David 0, Macalalag 0, Nwankwo 0.
UP (79) – Cansino 20, Felicilda 13, Alarcon 10, Abadiano 9, Pablo 6, Briones 5, Torculas 4, Lopez 4, Alter 2, Belomonte 2, Torres 2, Fortea 2, Gagate 0.
Quarterscores: 22-14, 51-39, 66-59, 88-79.
