MANILA – De La Salle University Green Archers walloped Adamson University Falcons, 70-55, in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament Final Four round on Saturday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kevin Quiambao tallied 14 points, three rebounds, three steals, two assists, and two blocks, while Joshua David contributed 11 markers, including three triples, for the defending champions Green Archers.
With the victory, the Green Archers have arranged a UAAP Finals rematch with the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons beginning on December 8 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Green Archers cruised to a strong start behind conversions from Quiambao and Michael Phillips for a 36-17 halftime lead before widening it to its largest at 58-31 on a basket by Raven Gonzales late in the third quarter.
The Falcons, however, went on a huge run in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 50-63, but the Green Archers responded with free throws from Quiambao and baskets from Phillips and Ramiro to seal the win.
“It’s so nice to be back in the finals,” said Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson. “These guys just did what they were supposed to do, they honor the game and play their best basketball.”
Royce Mantua top-scored for the Falcons with 14 points, including two three-pointers, while Cedrick Manzano added 13 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
The Fighting Maroons, meanwhile, booked their return trip to the championship round following a hard fought 78-68 victory over University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers.
Negrense Harold Alarcon spearheaded the offense with 16 points, with 14 coming in the last two quarters, as the Fighting Maroons moved on to the best-of-three finals for the fourth straight season.
Francis Lopez also ended up with 16 markers, while Reyland Torres contributed a season-high of 13 markers for the Fighting Maroons, which finished runner-up in the last two UAAP seasons./PN
