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| Lester Alvarez shot the Falcons to a big win. (image by Justin de Jesus/FullCourtFresh.com) |
AdU Soaring Falcons over the DLSU Green Archers, 66-58
I’ll count this as a minor upset, considering how well the Archers played their previous three games, and how awful Adamson is in a close game.
Adamson should’ve lost here, but Lady Luck was on the Falcons’ side, gifting them with breaks all throughout the match.
La Salle should’ve been able to climb back from the halftime deficit to steal the game, but Miss Fortune (yes, that is a clever play on the word misfortune – how smart of you!) fixed her ominous gaze on the Archers instead.
A host of fortunate sequences benefitted Adamson.
A host of bungled, and mind-boggling, sequences impaired La Salle.
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| Yutien Andrada's yeoman effort wasn't enough to carry La Salle to a win. (image by Justin de Jesus/FullCourtFresh.com) |
Aside from those “divine” factors, though, what was very noticeable for me was how Adamson’s previous heels outplayed La Salle’s previous heroes.
Both Lester Alvarez and Janus Lozada had awful outputs in the Falcons’ loss to NU a week earlier, but they made their presence felt in this encounter. Together, the duo shot 7-of-14 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the stripe, combining for 32 points.
In contrast, the heroes of DLSU’s three-game winning streak, LA Revilla, Jarelan Tampus, and Arnold Van Opstal, were all severely limited against coach Leo Austria’s wards. The trio’s combined output? 6 points on 3-of-14 FG shooting. Revilla had just 2 assists. Tampus missed all four of his charities and committed 3 turnovers. AVO had just 3 boards and 0 blocks in just 6 minutes of action.
Despite that, La Salle still had more than a fighting chance. The 12-point halftime deficit notwithstanding, the Archers managed to play with grit and fervor in the 2nd half, cutting the gap to as little as 2 points, but it was all for naught as Miss Fortune’s influence on the game was extremely palpable.
There was a strange sequence in the 3rd period when a series of questionable calls were made against Gang Green. Breaks of the game? Okay.
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| DLSU mentor Dindo Pumaren has some words for the officials after some questionable calls. (image by Justin de Jesus/FullCourtFresh.com) |
There were a series of slip-ups and wide open misses in the dying minutes. Breaks of the game? I’m pushing it, but okay.
But here’s the thing that will get each Green fan’s goat – 1-of-10 from rainbow country and, get this, 9-of-23 from the free-throw line! Breaks of the game? Hell, no.
Practice, practice, practice. That’s what the Archers seem to need at this point.
That anemic (and that’s understating it) shooting, from three and from the charity stripe, was enough to undermine DLSU’s edge in rebounding (44-38), assists (10-9), and blocks (5-3). Heck, that kind of shooting will undermine any advantage!
So Adamson gets back on track, taking a share of 2nd place at 4-2, with the Fighting Maroons awaiting on Thursday. Unless it’s the Falcons’ turn to fall under the spell of Miss Fortune, then they should go 5-2 by next weekend.
La Salle, on the other hand, goes back to the drawing board. A 3-game win streak against the lower-rung teams was supposed to give them the necessary lift to get past Adamson, but things fell into disarray yet again. Expect to hear a lot of flak from Taft’s faithful.
AdU 66 – Alvarez 18, Lozada 14, Nuyles 12, Camson 11, Etrone 4, Manyara 3, Brondial 2, Cañada 2, Cabrera 0, Colina 0
DLSU 58 – Torres 14, Andrada 11, Marata 9, Vosotros 6, Villanueva 4, dela Paz 4, Tampus 4, Atkins 2, Paredes 2, Revilla 2, Mendoza 0, Van Opstal 0, Webb 0
QS: 21-13, 35-23, 49-45, 66-58 
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