Win # 3!

The whole coliseum, plus the tens and thousands of viewers at home and from the internet, expected the game to be another blow-out win in favor of the Green Archers. It was one of the most intact and experienced teams in the league against a team composed of ten rookie players and a rookie head coach; who could have expected this one to be a nail-biter? In the end, the De La Salle Green Archers had to dodge a bullet in order to snatch their third win of the season, 64-61.
The FEU Tamaraws led most of the game until the Archers pulled all the right strings in the final minutes of the game to steal the win. The most pivotal moment of the game stemmed from the long arms of Rico Maierhofer when he snatched an offensive rebound and tipped the ball back in for the Archers’ biggest lead of the game, 62-58, with under 2 minutes left to play in the game. Cholo Villanueva showed extreme nuts of steel as he extended the Archers’ lead to 64-61 with 8.9 seconds left in the game; which became the final score for the Archer-win accompanied by a huge sigh of relief. Coach Franz Pumaren showed calmness and confidence in his team even though defeat stared them in the eyes in the final minutes; convincing himself and his team that their veteran experience was not a force to be reckoned with in crunch time.
The Green Archers displayed a sub-par offense, shooting only 28% FGs for the entire game; forcing them to hope and pray that their advantage in free throws made and attempted pave a way for their victory, and indeed it did as the Archers made 10 more free throws than the Tamaraws did. The Green Archers once again spearheaded the attack with balanced scoring from the whole team, led by Rico Maierhofer with 11 points and 8 rebounds, followed by Peejay Barua with 11 points and 4 rebounds.
The FEU Tamaraws’ rookie-led squad exceeded expectations by almost toppling the Green Archers. Sophomore player Marnel Baracael led the Tamaraws in scoring with 16 points while also grabbing 6 rebounds. Rookie Ron Sanga also contributed with 9 points and 4 rebounds. The FEU Tamaraws were out-rebounded on the offensive boards 19-12.
In the first game, the UST Growling Tigers looked as if they were headed for another defeat early on against the Adamson Falcons until they rallied to keep the game alive and rallied once more late to pull away with the 12-point victory. Jervy Cruz had another monster game with 24 points and 23 rebound, accompanied by Francis Allera with a career-high 26 points, to help the Gold and Black snag their first win of the season. The Falcons were led by Patrick Cabahug’s 24 points and Roel Hugnatan’s league-high 32 points in another unfortunate loss.
Animo La Salle!