Win # 4!!!

Green Archers’ Furious Rally Tame Tigers in OT

After letting a big game slip away from their fingertips a few days back, the De La Salle Green Archers were met by another equally huge game at their disposal. The Green Archers faced the defending champions, UST Growling Tigers, with the task to somewhat prove whether or not the Tigers would have won last year’s championship or not had the Green Archers played in the tournament. The Archers proved their case, and won 90-86 in overtime.

For the first half of the game, it looked exactly like the Growling Tigers had their foot on the accelerator as well as on the point that the Archers do not matter whatsoever to their championship campaign, as the Tigers took as much as a 16-point lead late in the 2nd quarter. It seemed like the Archers were on their way to the team’s 3rd straight setback, as the Tigers outplayed them in all aspects of the game to push the lead higher and higher until it felt insurmountable.

However, the Green Archers ignited a furious rally in the third quarter, with much appreciation to the stifling full-court press for which the Growling Tigers had no answer for, to cut the lead to 2-points by quarter’s end. The fourth quarter saw the reemergence of lost Archer, Ty Tang, as he drained crucial baskets with his patented pull-up jumper in transition, as well as huge bombs from beyond the arc. Despite shooting bricks for well throughout the entire game, JV Casio’s offense also decided to show up late in the 4th quarter, with probably the most important shot of the game stemming from his drive through the left lane against the whole UST team for the game-tying lay-up with 2.6 seconds remaining in the game. The Archers pulled away late in overtime to secure their win, as well as breaking their 2-game losing streak.

The Green Archers were led by Ty Tang’s 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. JV Casio, whose offense was a no-show until the crucial stages of the game, had 14 points and 5 rebounds. James Mangahas posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. PJ Walsham, Rico Maierhofer, and Ferdinand fouled out for De La Salle, and Brian Ilad left the game due to injury; the remaining big man of De La Salle, Kish Co, stayed alive in the game holding on to 4 personal fouls. The whole Archers team, including Coach Franz Pumaren, sported shaved heads; an act of bonding the team since losing their last game to Ateneo.

The Growling Tigers were led by another monstrous performance by Jervy Cruz, who had 22 points and 18 rebounds. Their floor general, Japs Cuan, fouled out with 6 points and 6 assists; which cost the Tigers dearly in overtime with no one to dictate the offense or break the feared full court press of De La Salle. The UST Growling Tigers have not defeated the De La Salle Green Archers since Game 2 of the 1999 UAAP Finals