Archers give new UP coach rude welcome
La Salle gave University of the Philippines no reason to celebrate the return of Rey Madrid to the sidelines.
Using their height and heft advantage to the hilt in the second half, the Green Archers turned back the upset-conscious Fighting Maroons, 85-63, Saturday noon to sustain their steady climb in the UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball action at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Wide-bodied forward Jason Perkins anchored the team’s inside force with 19 points and 16 rebounds, 10 of them off the offensive glass, while three other teammates churned in at least 12 markers as La Salle notched its third straight victory and sixth overall against four defeats, good for solo fourth.
Aside from repeating over the Fighting Maroons following an equally impressive 96-84 win in their initial meeting last July 3, the Green Archers also spoiled the comeback of Madrid, who took over the post vacated by coach Ricky Dandan, But the Diliman-based squad remained winless after nine tries.
Guard Henry Asilum paced UP with 18 points, spiked by four triples, but suffered cramps in the fourth canto where the Fighting Maroons could only score seven compared to their rivals’ 24.
The Main Man: He stands just 6-foot-3 but Jason Perkins has different ways of providing the needed inside presence for La Salle.
Pitted against a relatively smaller UP frontline that was missing injured center Chris Ball, the Minnesota native frolicked in the paint, producing 19 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting from the field while hauling down 16 of the team’s 55-rebound output, including 10 off the offensive glass.
He fully asserted himself in the fourth where he banged in 11 points, including two completed three-point plays.
Honorable Mention: Starting point guard Thomas Torres continues to deal with his own struggles but gunner Almond Vosotros is proving he can handle the playmaking chores.
More than his 16-point output that included a pair of triples, the 5-foot-10 veteran guard set up the table for the Green Archers with aplomb, coming through with a game-high seven assists, five coming during the team’s big second-half explosion.
Game Turning Point: After UP led by as many as seven in the first half and held a precarious 56-54 lead off a Kyles Lao putback, La Salle went on a big roll with 14 unanswered points bridging the third and fourth cantos for a big 12-point cushion.
Not yet done, the Green Archers continued to pound the Fighting Maroons inside behind Jason Perkins and Norbert Torres to pull away for good.
They Said It:
La Salle coach Juno Sauler: “We shot better in the second half while UP missed the shots they were making in the first half. No real adjustments. I just told them ‘Play harder and do a better job defensively in challenging the shots of UP. Just continue what we are doing offensively.’ That’s one of the mindsets that we’re trying to improve on–how to play defense.”
La Salle forward Jason Perkins: “That was okay. But I thought I can do a better job in defensive rebounds. They grabbed a lot of defensive rebounds. A lot of it came on my man because I forgot to box out.”
DLSU (85) - Perkins 19, Vosotros 16, N. Torres 16, Teng 12, Van Opstal 7, Revilla 6, Montalbo 5, Tampus 4, T. Torres 0, Salem 0.
UP (63) - Asilum 18, Soyud 11, Marata 11, Wong 6, Lo 6, Harris 4, Desiderio 4, Pascual 3, Suarez 0, Paras 0, Gingerich 0, Gallarza 0, Amar 0.
Quarterscores: 23-20, 35-42, 61-56, 85-63
