DE LA SALLE Zobel caught its biggest fish thus far in UAAP Season 87 on Thursday inside San Juan's Filoil EcoOil Centre - and it didn't need extra time to do so.
Kieffer Alas got off to a good start before the rest of the Jr. Archers came through for a 77-69 triumph over Adamson, the reigning kings of the boys' basketball tournament.
Alas did it all with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, as Bonn Daja and Ken Atienza feasted on the Baby Falcons' undersized frontline for a combined 18 markers and 12 boards. Melvin Tailan, a 16-year-old guard, also stepped up with eight points, five assists, and two rebounds.
Still, the defending champions were within one, 44-45, early in the final frame before Tailan and Atienza joined forces in a 13-2 DLSZ run to re-establish a comfortable 58-46 margin with six minutes remaining.
Adamson again crept to just down four, 54-58, with under five to go only to see Alas score six points in the Jr. Archers' 11-5 counter to put the game away.
"This is a big win, a character win for us. The true test of a team is against the tough teams, and this is the defending champion, so it’s a good omen," said coach Boris Aldeguer, as two of their three wins in the tournament came in overtime.
On the other hand, the Baby Falcons fell for the second straight time for a 1-3 overall record in its title defense. Mark Esperanza yet again fronted their effort with 18 points, seven assists, and three steals, but they continued to sorely miss an inside presence, getting outrebounded 32-44.
Bullpups leading the pack
NU-Nazareth School remained alone atop the leaderboard after a 75-59 outclassing of overmatched Ateneo.
Reigning MVP Collins Akowe kept up his double-double streak with 25 points and 16 rebounds, while Chad Cartel and Joje Matias came off the bench to contribute 11 and 10 markers, respectively, for the still-spotless Bullpups.
Head coach Kevin De Castro and Akowe himself, however, still saw a point for improvement in the 4-0 start to their redemption tour following last season's runner-up finish.
"I think I still have to work on my free throws," said the Nigerian big, as he converted 11-of-16 of his charities.
"Yung free throws nga," quipped De Castro, with not much to actually quibble about with his wards dominating for majority of the match.
Right behind NUNS is University of Santo Tomas which stretched its streak to three straight by downing University of the East, 69-59.
Senegalese big Racine Kane powered his way through for a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double on top of three blocks, as Joaqui Ludovice provided backup with 11 markers, five boards, three assists, and three steals.
The Tiger Cubs were misfiring from beyond the arc, muffing on 15-of-18 attempts, but made good from the line, going 20-of-24 compared to the Jr. Warriors who missed 12 charities. That proved to be the difference, as the black-and-gold hiked its record to 3-1.
Also improving to 3-1 is Far Eastern University-Diliman which bucked a slow start before overpowering the University of the Philippines Integrated School, 84-60.
The Baby Tamaraws found themselves trailing 8-20 late in the first quarter before Liam Salangsang caught fire and ignited a 30-8 blast for a 38-26 lead at the 3:16 mark of the second quarter. Their lead would balloon to as big as 24 before winding up as a bounce back win following their first defeat of the season.
Salangsang was red-hot with 16 points, all but one coming from deep, to go with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, as Cabs Cabonilas (12 markers, 10 boards, six dimes) and Mico Pascual (10 markers, 13 boards, two dimes) took care of the paint.
The Jr. Maroons were paced by Bruce Tubongbanua and Rocco Melicor who scored 16 points apiece, while Jay-M Leal with his 18 markers was the lone bright spot for the Blue Eagles. Both teams are yet to break into the win column.
UE, meantime, dropped to 2-2 despite counting four players in double-figures led by Ethan Aguas (15 points, 14 rebounds) and Jean Bana (15 points, seven rebounds). Main man Edry Alejandro also posted 11 markers and 11 boards, but continued to struggle from the field where he went 5-of-14, as well as the stripe where he was 1-of-5.
The Scores:
First Game
UST 69 - Kane 24, Ludovice 11, Canete 8, Esteban 7, Manding 6, Buenaflor 6, Bucsit 5, Solon 2, Catalan 0, Acido 0
UE 59 - Aguas 15, Bana 15, Alejandro 11, Sabroso 10, Diaz 4, Lagat 4, Bual 0, Chua 0, Timbol 0, Almanza 0, Lorenzo 0, Dahino 0, Roquid 0, Cuevas 0, Abellar 0
Quarters: 18-23, 41-37, 55-49, 69-59
Second Game
FEU-DILIMAN 84 - Salangsang 16, Burgos 15, Godoy 15, Cabonilas 12, Pascual 10, Esperanza 4, Hall 3, Raneses 3, De Guzman 2, Santos 2, Castillejos 2, Maierhofer 0, Dagcutan 0
UPIS 60 - Tubongbanua 16, Melicor 16, Egea 12, Hallare 6, Gomez de Liano 3, Uvero 3, Poquiz 2, Coronel 2, Hernandez 0, Rosete 0, Pascual 0, Cobico 0, Gepitan 0, Mariano 0
Quarters: 14-20, 42-32, 62-47, 84-60
Third Game
NUNS 75 - Akowe 25, Cartel 11, Matias 10, Napa 9, Alfanta 7, Palanca 4, Figueroa 4, Bouzina 3, Locsin 2, Nepacena 0, Usop 0, Casala 0, Lucido 0, Natinga 0
ATENEO 59 - Leal 18, Urbina 8, Delos Santos 8, Asistio 8, Tan 5, Ymasa 4, Reyes 3, Trinidad 3, Lagdamen 1, Kallos 1, Lacsamana 0, Espinas 0, Kaw 0
Quarters: 24-14, 37-26, 54-43, 75-59
Fourth Game
DLSZ 77 - Alas 24, Dabao 12, Daja 10, Tailan 8, Atienza 8, Arejola 5, Favis 5, Espinosa 5, Borrero 0, Mben 0, Alpapara 0, Reguera 0
ADAMSON 69 - Esperanza 18, Umali 16, De Jesus 12, Medina 9, Perez 5, Penafiel 3, Sajili 2, Murillo 2, Tumaneng 2, Artango 0, Abayon 0, Matilliano 0
Quarters: 22-12, 37-33, 45-41, 77-69
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