Fastbreak: NU, La Salle score easy wins

NU Bulldogs (80) – (48) Adamson Soaring Falcons

The best: Big man Jean Mbe was overpowering underneath, chipping in 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals which included an in-your-face fastbreak slam midway in the third canto. Ray Parks flashed his unselfish brilliance once more, but it was Mbe who was the face of this dominant win.

The worst: Rodney Brondial was unable to assert the same might that he did when he put up a 19-point, 23-rebound production against La Salle. He was virtually absent throughout the game, finishing with a paltry 5-point output in 33 minutes.

Main man Jericho Cruz turned the ball over 7 times, no thanks to Maurice Porter’s excellent job of shutting down Cruz in the entire match.

Bulldog-like defense: NU fired a 19-3 blast to end the first period, while their suffocating defense grounded Adamson to just 7 points (27% shooting). The Sampaloc dribblers continued to shellack the San Marcelino 5 while making it look so effortless on the offensive end.

The Bulldogs knocked down basket after basket which broke the game wide-open. In the 4th, they limited Adamson to just 8 en route to the most lopsided win in UAAP Season 76. The Falcons averaged 69.13 points/game prior to the match but shot an atrocious 36% from the field, yielding to the supersharp NU squad.

DLSU Green Archers (75) – (66) FEU Tamaraws

The best: Rookie Jason Perkins was sensational down the post, finishing with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and a block while making 54 of his shots. He was earlier tapped as the man to step up in the absence of Yutien Andrada, and he did it convincingly tonight! He was the Green Archers’ extra battery, hustling for possessions (7 offensive boards) and protecting the rim against his taller competitors.

The worst: Terrence Romeo’s struggles continued tonight, shooting a miserable 4-for-18 from the field. He didn’t share the ball well and took too many ill-advised attempts. We won’t be surprised if Nico Salva will shower Romeo with some online slurs again. Be ready with your popcorn.

No more meltdowns: Jeron Teng delivered the jarring blows in a telling 9-2 run that doused the Tamaraws’ comeback aspirations. The King Archer piled 6 points in the decisive stretch to secure La Salle’s first back-to-back wins in the season. He tallied 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Reserve power: La Salle’s bench came up with the spark tonight. Arnold Van Opstal towered inside with 9 points and 6 boards in just 16 minutes, while Matt Salem and Kib Montalbo combined for 11 markers.