LA SALLE stayed in the race for a twice-to-beat bonus with an 86-76 win over University of the East on Sunday in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In another historic feat, Kevin Quiambao's second triple-double of the season of 17 points, 19 boards, and 12 assists kept La Salle in the frame for a Top Two finish and twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four that goes with it.
Mark Nonoy also had himself a breakout game for the Archers with a game-high 25 points in the Taft squad's six straight win to stay unbeaten in Round 2.
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The Archers’ 9-3 (win-loss) record keeps league leaders UP and NU on their toes before locking horns in next week’s elimination round finale.
And at 4-8, UE’s Final Four bid has been dealt a massive blow but remained contention ahead of decisive battles with Ateneo (6-6) and Adamson (5-7).
"I'm just so grateful and blessed to be here again getting this win against UE. I also commend the guys that really stepped up in this game. The guys were just really having fun and just trying to really be disciplined in what we want to achieve as a team," said La Salle head coach Topex Robinson.
"We talked about pursuing the moment and reminded everybody to not let this day pass by without making an impact and these guys just stepped up to the challenge," he added.
In every single UE fightback, La Salle always responded with lengthy scoring sprees — 16 straight to lead before halftime, 13 in a row after UE came within one in the fourth frame, and seven successive points from Quiambao and Nonoy to keep the Warriors at bay.
Quiambao's second double-double of Season 86 is a first in the Final Four era.
The scores:
DLSU (86) – Nonoy 25, Quiambao 17, Cortez 11, Policarpio 9, Nelle 7, Austria 6, Escandor 6, Abadam 3, Nwankwo 2, David 0, M. Phillips 0, B. Phillips 0, Macalalag 0, Manuel 0.
UE (76) – Remogat 22, Momowei 21, Sawat 18, Lingolingo 6, Maglupay 4, Cruz-Dumont 3, Tulabut 2, Galang 0.
Quarterscores: 15-15, 49-38, 64-63, 86-76.
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