IN NUMBERS: DLSU vs Adamson – UAAP Season 81
SWEET REVENGE. The Adamson Soaring Falcons are hungry for a win against their constant silencers, the La Salle Green Archers. Photo by Josh Albelda/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – League-leading Adamson looks to avenge one of its two losses when it battles De La Salle University (DLSU) in the UAAP men's basketball tournament at 2 pm on Saturday, October 20, at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Green Archers (5-3) handed the Soaring Falcons (6-2) their second setback of the season just a week ago.
But even prior to Adamson's 78-79 overtime loss last Saturday, October 13, tensions have been boiling between the two teams as the Taft-based squad had denied the Falcons of a Finals berth for two straight seasons.
Adamson head coach Franz Pumaren – La Salle's former champion mentor – also remained winless against his former team in 7 games since he took over the Falcons.
"If you look at the last game against La Salle, we completely dominated the stats," said Pumaren.
The Adamson mentor isn't wrong there as his sharpshooters Jerrick Ahanmisi and Sean Manganti combined for a total of 50 points. The San Marcelino-based squad also edged out the Green Archers in rebounds (55-39), assists (19-11), and steals (6-5).
"It’s just the breaks of the game and the lapses during the course of the game," added Pumaren of La Salle's advantage in the first round matchup.
The stunning win was thanks to La Salle's Aljun Melecio, who racked up a team-high of 22 points while Santi Santillan and Justine Baltazar stepped up to chip in 16 points apiece.
Season averages:
As the Soaring Falcons continue to bank on the team's offense – an efficient 40.4% field goal percentage – La Salle's defensive players Kib Montalbo together with big men Baltazar and Santillan will have to step up to the challenge once again.
Montalbo still lives up to his "Man of Steal" title for the Green Archers as he leads the team in the category with an average of 1.3 steals.
Both Baltazar and Santilllan have made a combined total of 61 offensive rebounds throughout the season, which has pushed up La Salle's second chance points to a league-leading average of 15.9 points per game.
So will the Soaring Falcons finally get their revenge? Or will the Green Archers shoot down Pumaren's squad for the 8th time? – Rappler.com
