The onslaught began during the first quarter, and it looked as if it would never let up. After erecting a 23-point halftime lead, it appeared that the La Salle would be coasting to their second victory of the season against the NU. But then a dearth in scoring befell the Green Archers, as they managed to score only two points in the third canto, both of them coming off charities. With the pesky Bulldogs eating away at their lead, the team turned to a familiar face: court general LA Revilla.
And as he had done before, the comebacking guard responded emphatically to put the game out of reach and hand the Green Archers their second victory in four games, to the tune of 74-63, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City. The victory raised their record to .500, as they now sport a 2-2 win-loss record, while sending the Bulldogs reeling to their fourth loss and putting a dent on their Final Four hopes.
Revilla led the Archers with yet another sterling performance of 19 points, six steals, five rebounds, and one dime. And unlike Bulldog Glenn Khobuntin who spearheaded the attack of the Sampaloc-based squad with 21 points but got little help, Revilla was ably backstopped by teammates Joseph Marata, who rattled in four baskets from downtown for 12 markers, as well as Arnold Van Opstal and Oda Tampus, who both netted 10 apiece.
“We were able to prepare well for them [NU]. Not just for their best players, but also for the entire team,” said Revilla, who was adjudged the Best Player of the game and now averages 15.3 points in four games for the Archers.
He also lauded his teammates’ performance on the defensive end, especially on the Bulldogs’ one-two punch of Emmanuel Mbe and Bobby Ray Parks, who both groped for form and shot a combined 5-for-13 from the field. Parks was able to finish with 13 markers, but most of them came from the line and the pesky defense which hounded him all game long was able to limit his touches.
“I also give credit to my teammates who played well, especially on the defensive end. They did a good job on [Rayray] Parks,” said Revilla.
Two quick three-pointers from Marata coupled with baskets from Maui Villanueva and Luigi Dela Paz immediately fueled the Archers’ offense and it looked as though they would run roughshod on the hapless Bulldogs, leading by as much as 14 in the first quarter, 25-11. However, Bulldogs Lee Villamor and Jul-Ashri Ignacio ignited a run for the Bulldogs to narrow the Archer lead to five, 32-27, midway through the second period. But anchored by Revilla, who scattered 14 of his 19 in a decisive second quarter run, the Archers unloaded a barrage of points, and by the turn, they were up by 23 huge points, 59-36.
But an unprecedented third quarter which saw them score merely on a pair of charities, one by Dela Paz and another by Yutien Andrada, allowed the Bulldogs, who were led by Khobuntin, to slowly creep back into the game. Their seemingly insurmountable lead had been whittled down to a dozen, 61-49, at the end of the third. The last time they scored a field goal was during the dying moments of the first half, when Revilla stole the ball and raced for a lay-up and was granted a bonus charity. Their offensive struggle would continue up until the first 4:30 of the final quarter, before Tampus fearlesly drove to the basket to end their scoring drought and pad their diminishing lead to nine, 63-54.
Revilla and then added a lay-up and two free throws, before Tampus and Van Opstal also lighted up the scoreboard to give the team a sizeable lead. And after Luigi Dela Paz nailed a three-pointer from the left corner with 1:33 remaining that brought the team’s lead to 14 once again, all hopes of an upset for the Bulldogs were crushed. The Bulldogs also had their share of offensive struggles as they failed to make a single three-point basket in the entire game.
When asked about his feelings now that the team has raised its record to .500, Revilla mentions that their opening losses to FEU and Ateneo enabled them to learn a lot of lessons. “We had to regroup after the first two losses. We just told ourselves to stick with the system and believe in the team,” he finishes.
Meanwhile, the Junior Archers crushed UPIS 102-48 last Tuesday to remain undefeated this season.
Box Scores
Juniors – July 26
DLSZ 102 – Boo 16, Torres 13, Subido 12, Lim 10, Velhagen 10, Reyes 9, Tempongko 8, Bederi 7, Betia 7, Yu 4, Joven 4, Sajulga 2, Moran 0, Salvador 0, Concepcion 0
UPIS 48 – Pajarillaga 16, Cinco 13, Dario 10, General 5, Ragos 4, Sanson 0, Sablan , Nacpil 0, Mercado 0, Lopez 0, Chua 0, Abenojar 0, Quejada 0, Gregorio 0, Ancheta 0
Quarter Scores: 19-14;51-26;71-29;102-48
Seniors
DLSU 74- Revilla 19, Marata 12, Van Opstal 10, Tampus 10, Villanueva 9, Dela Paz 6, Vosotros 2, Webb 2, Mendoza 2, Torres 1, Andrada 1, Atkins 0.
NU 63- Khobuntin 21, Parks 13, Ignacio7, Villamor 6, Mbe 6, Alolino 3, Magat 3, Celiz 2, Terso 2, Eman 0, Javillonar 0, Singh 0.
Quarterscores: 30-15;59-36;61-49;74-63.