By Gerbs De Castro
Smarting from a heartbreaking 55-56 hairline setback to a resurgent UP Fighting Maroons quintet last week, the DLSU Green Archers notched their third victory in four starts, as they buckled down to business, walloping the STI Olympians with a murderous 74-52 rout Saturday in the ongoing 2008-09 Father Martin Cup Open Division Basketball Tournament at the La Consolacion gym in Manila.
First quarter action saw DLSU jumping the gun as they zoomed to an 8-0 advantage, with L.A. Revilla leading the charge early with four markers and an assist to the dismay of their opponents, who sued for time with 5:33 to go. When play ensued, a brief STI uprising was just not enough as Maui Villanueva and Bader Malabes joined hands with Revilla, closing this chapter, with the Archers on top, 18-9.
A well-balanced scoring binge could best describe the next canto, with nine Archers contributing their share, spearheaded by Jovet Mendoza, Revilla, Villanueva, and Ferdinand, who all chipped in four markers each, as the first half closed its curtains with DLSU in total command at 44-18, punctuated by a Gab Banal rejection as STI attempted a buzzer-beater jumper.
The Archers, with loads of momentum still on their side, greeted the Olympians in the succeeding quarter with two straight field goals from Mendoza and Banal, both of which came from a Revilla assist, padding DLSU’s lead to eighteen as STI called for time with 9:07 left. With the Olympians slightly clawing back to contention, a putback, and a steal with a conversion to boot by Banal, a Jed Manguera trifecta, and a Villanueva jumper, once again ballooned the Archers lead at 59-30. As STI, scored on the next two possessions, DLSU talked things over with 3.6 seconds to go to map a final play. A strong baseline drive by Joshua Webb ended the quarter at 61-34.
In the last chapter, the 2007 National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) champions finally displayed why they are perennial NAASCU finalists, exhibiting a much improved defensive stance, limiting the 2008 National Champions to only thirteen points, but to no avail, as Webb made the final touches, handing the Archers the lopsided victory.
The scores:
DLSU (74) – Villanueva 13, Revilla 12, Banal 10, Mendoza 8, Webb 8, Malabes 6, Bagatsing 4, Ferdinand 4, Manguera 3, Chandumal 2, Co 2, Rodriguez 2
STI (52)
Points Per Quarter:
DLSU 18 26 17 13 = 74
STI 9 9 16 18 = 52