Quiambao career-best tows La Salle to triumph

c/o UAAP

UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Standings

DLSU 10-1

UP 7-1

UE 6-3

UST 4-6

AdU 3-6

FEU 3-6

Ateneo 3-7

NU 2-8

Games today at the SM Mall of Asia Arena

8 a.m. – AdU vs Ateneo (JHS)

10 a.m. – UP vs AdU (Women)

12 p.m. – UST vs FEU (Women)

3:30 p.m. – UP vs AdU (Men)

6:30 p.m. – UST vs FEU (Men)

Kevin Quiambao reset his career-high with 33 points as De La Salle University asserted its mastery of rival Ateneo de Manila University, 80-65, for its seventh straight win in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Saturday. 

The reigning MVP put up 33 points, four more than his previous-high of 29 he set against University of Santo Tomas 10 days ago in their 94-87 overtime victory.  He also grabbed 13 rebounds. 

The Green Archers swept the Blue Eagles in their elimination round head-to-head after also prevailing in the first round, 74-61. 

This is the first time that La Salle won both its elimination round games against Ateneo since Season 76 (2013) with Jeron Teng, Norbert Torres, LA Revilla, and Almond Vosotros as its leading players. 

“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 Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson. 

“It’s a good win for us pero malayo pa kami sa gusto naming mapuntahan,” shared Quiambao. 

La Salle rose to a league-leading 10-1 record while ending Ateneo’s two-game winning run to push its rivals down to 3-7 at seventh place. 

With the Green Archers’ lead reaching its peak at 18 on EJ Gollena’s two free throws at the 8:02 mark of the fourth period, the Blue Eagles continued to try to fight back and chip away. 

Jared Bahay, Ian Espinosa, Chris Koon, and Sean Quitevis connived to cut Ateneo’s deficit to within nine with 3:47 left, 64-73, but that would be the closest they could get as Quiambao, Mike Phillips, and Joshua David kept La Salle afloat the rest of the way to complete the wire-to-wire triumph. 

David and Gollena chimed in nine points apiece, while CJ Austria and Vhoris Marasigan each made seven points in the  win. 

La Salle will have a nine-day break before getting back to action on November 6 against Far Eastern University, also at the MOA Arena. 

Bahay, the rookie out of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, had his best game in the UAAP with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting while also dishing out four assists. 

Ateneo’s next match will be against University of the Philippines  on Wednesday, still at the Pasay venue. 

The Scores:

DLSU 80 – Quiambao 33, David 9, Gollena 9, Austria 7, Marasigan 7, Macalalag 5, M. Phillips 4, Ramiro 3, Gonzales 2, Dungo 1, Agunanne 0.

Ateneo 65 – Bahay 22, Koon 9, Porter 8, Tuano 8, Espinosa 6, Lazaro 6, Quitevis 5, Bongo 1, Balogun 0, Ong 0, Gamber 0, Espina 0.

Quarterscores: 17-11, 42-33, 63-48, 80-65.