MANILA – De La Salle University Green Archers returned to their winning ways in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball after a 75-66 victory over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Justine Baltazar had an all-around game of 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block as the Green Archers notched its fourth win in five games.
Kurt Lojera got 15 points. Rookie Emman Galman chipped in career-high 13 points, while Filipino-American Michael Philips had 13 rebounds and eight points for UST.
Negrense guard Mark Nonoy, meanwhile, was a picture of struggle for the Green Archers in his first game against his former school, the Growling Tigers.
The La Carlota, Negros Occidental native, who was poached by DLSU from UST two years ago, managed just three points, on 1-of-6 shooting, to go with three rebounds, two turnovers and one assists.
The Green Archers were hot off the bat, cruising to a 21-7 lead topped by Galman’s back-to-back triples but the Growling Tigers responded to trim the deficit to 16-23.
UST were just down single digits in the second period but the Green Archers finished the first half strong behind Galman and Baltazar for a 42-27 advantage.
UST kept the game close in the second half and was able to slash the gap to just nine after Aklanon Christian Manaytay’s reverse with 2:58 left in the fourth quarter, 62-71, but it was too little, too late.
Rookie Nicael Cabañero tallied career-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Joshua Fontanilla added 20 markers as the Growling Tigers dropped to 2-3.
In the second game, University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons (4-1) escaped with a 73-71 victory over the hardluck Adamson University Falcons (1-4).
The Scores:
DLSU 75 – Baltazar 20, Lojera 15, Galman 13, M. Phillips 8, Nelle 4, Austria 4, B. Phillips 4, Nonoy 3, Winston 2, Nwankwo 2.
UST 66 – Cabañero 20, Fontanilla 20, Santos 9, Manaytay 9, Concepcion 4, Ando 2, M. Pangilinan 2, Garing 0, Manalang 0, Mantua 0, Herrera 0, Yongco 0, Gomez de Liaño 0.
Quarterscores 23-16, 42-27, 61-44, 75-66./PN
