 |
| Kib Montalbo provided stability on both ends, earning La Salle its fifth straight win. |
By Ricky Manliguis
PASAY CITY—De La Salle is
on a roll.
The Archers put on a
scintillating performance as it walloped Adamson University, 91-75, to stretch
its winning streak to five in the UAAP Season LXXIX men’s basketball tournament
at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Drawing another monster
game from Ben Mbala, plus the off-the-bench contributions of Aljun Melecio and
Kib Montalbo, the Taft-based squad dominated right from the get-go to beat the
Falcons, now handled by former coach Franz Pumaren.
After building a 39-26
first half lead anchored on a 13-2 scoring spurt led by Jeron Teng, the Archers
were never threatened until the final buzzer. The lead went as high as 19 at
some point.
The Falcons could only
come to as close as 11 points, only to fell short in the end.
The Cameroonian Mbala led
four others in double figures, coming out with 21 points, 16 rebounds, two
assists, four steals, and three blocks on an efficient 9-for-11 field goal
shooting. Teng added 15, plus four assists and three rebounds.
Melecio and Montalbo also
came out smoking, as the duo combined for 25 of DLSU’s 36 bench points. The
latter also had eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals, as he provided
the needed energy on both ends.
Jerrick Ahanmisi led the
Falcons, which remained at second place on a 3-2 win-loss card, with 22 points,
four boards, and three assists. Robbie Manalang was the second leading scorer
with 15, while center Papi Sarr issued 14 and 15 boards.
The scores:
DLSU 91 — Mbala 21, Teng
15, Melecio 13, Montalbo 12, Torres 11, Baltazar 7, Tratter 6, Go 2, Sargent 2,
R. Rivero 2, Caracut 0.
Adamson 75 — Ahanmisi
22, Manalang 15, Sarr 14, Pasturan 9, Manganti 6, Tungcab 5, Espeleta 2, Ochea
1, Mustre 1, Ng 0, Bernardo 0, Chua 0, Camacho 0.
Quarterscores: 22-17, 49-34, 66-52, 91-75.
Follow him on Twitter: @Teaching_Hero
.jpg)
