By Jun Ray Navarres
Kevin Quiambao and the De La Salle University maintained the top spot after dismantling Ateneo de Manila University, 80-65 during the second round of UAAP S87 men’s basketball tournament, Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Quiambao, the Season 86 MVP erased his previous record of 29 points against UST to set a new season-high with a 33-point performance and clinched La Salle’s seventh straight win for a 10-1 record.
“It’s a good win for us pero malayo pa kami sa gusto naming mapuntahan,” KQ humbly shared after also grabbing 13 rebounds for the double double.
It is always after the half time break that La Salle picks their pace up.
Leading only by nine after the first 20 minutes of play, the Green Archers boosted their lead up to 15, 63-48 with KQ’s explosive scoring from all areas of the court.
Back-to-back threes from Sean Quitevis and Ian Espinosa chipped down the lead to single digit, 73-64, with 3:47 remaining in the final period.
However, KQ sprung up for the slam after a well-placed pocket pass from Mike Phillips to bring the lead back up to 11, 75-64.
The Blue Eagles clawed their way to narrow the gap however, the Green Archers’ towering duo of Quiambao and Phillips proved to be an insurmountable obstacle, maintaining their dominance on both ends of the court.
Josh David sealed the night for Green Archers with a three.
“Every time you play Ateneo, it’s always gonna be something to always value. We know it’s gonna be a hard-fought game, that team is really a solid team with a lot of winning tradition, so we just kept our composure,” said head coach Topex Robinson.
David finished with nine points along with EJ Gollena. La Salle will have a nine-day break before facing Far Eastern University on Nov 6.
Meanwhile, Jared Bahay carried Ateneo with a career-high of 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting while also dishing out four dimes.
Images courtesy of UAAP Media Bureau
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