MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers got their revenge against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons for their first round loss, winning 85-62 on Sunday, October 15 at the Filoil Flying V Arena.  

The Green Archers’ played with vengeance on their mind, outscoring UP 27-13 in the second period and holding them to just 27 first half points. 

The Fighting Maroons grabbed an early lead in the game with a 9-4 start, but a bucket by Santi Santillan grabbed the lead for Green Archers and helped push DLSU towards a 10-point cushion via triples by Aljun Melecio and Jollo Go.  

The Green Archers brought their Mayhem Defense back in the following quarter as they limited the UP offense to only 5 points by the 4:21 mark of the second frame. 

Jun Manzo lifted the Fighting Maroons in the third in an attempt to cut the deficit but DLSU’s consistent play nailed the score gap at 20 points at the end of the third frame. 

The Fighting Maroons entered the fourth with a more balanced effort to earn them an early 6-0 run, but Ricci Rivero’s offense in the last 3 minutes of the game managed to pin the lead at 23 points as the game closed out.  

This win puts the Green Archers at a 7-2 record while the Fighting Maroons skid down to 4-5 in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament.

Ben Mbala led the scoring for the Green Archers and recorded another double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds. Most of Mbala’s action was seen in the first half where he scored 20 points. The DLSU big man also contributed 3 assists and one steal.  

Manzo topscored for the Fighting Maroons with 13 points, all of which came in the third quarter. He also grabbed 5 boards and made one assist and two steals in second half action.

Scores: 

DLSU (85) – Mbala 27, Rivero R 20, Montalbo 12, Go 8, Santillan 7, Rivero P 3, Baltazar 3, Melecio 3, Caracut 2, Tratter 0, Gonzales 0, Tero 0.

UP (62) – Manzo 13, Ouattara 9, Desiderio 7, Gomez de Liano Ju 7, Gomez de Liano Ja 6, Lim 6, Vito 6, Webb 5, Jaboneta 3, Dario 0, Harris 0, Romero 0, Lao 0. 

Quarter Scores: 24-14, 51-27, 65-45, 85-62. – Rappler.com