LIVE UPDATES: La Salle vs NU, UAAP Season 86 Final Four

MANILA, Philippines – La Salle barged into the UAAP finals for the first time in six years after giving NU a 97-73 beatdown in the Final Four of the Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, November 25.

Guards Mark Nonoy and Evan Nelle showed the way in the win, while MVP frontrunner Kevin Quiambao bucked his shooting woes as the second seed Green Archers capitalized on their win-once incentive for their first finals appearance since 2017.

Nonoy sizzled for 20 points, while Nelle produced all-around numbers of 15 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals for La Salle, which picked up its ninth straight win en route to arranging a title clash with top seed UP Fighting Maroons.

Quiambao, the favorite to become the first local MVP winner since Kiefer Ravena achieved the feat in 2014 and 2015, put up 17 points on a 5-of-15 clip from the field to go with 8 rebounds.

The third seed Bulldogs, who won 10 of their first 12 games of the season, ended their campaign on a devastating three-game skid.

Jake Figueroa tallied 19 points and 9 rebounds in the losing effort.

Fourth quarter

FINAL: La Salle sets up a highly anticipated title clash with UP after making easy work of NU, 97-73
LA SALLE 97-73: JC Macalalag adds two more free throws
LA SALLE 95-73: Reinhard Jumamoy drills a freebie, JC Macalalag floats it in
LA SALLE 93-72: Jonnel Policarpio rattles in a fall-away jumper
LA SALLE 91-72: Mike Malonzo sinks two charities, Earl Abadam scores
LA SALLE 89-70: Mike Malonzo hits a free throw, John Galinato lays it in
LA SALLE 89-67: Kevin Quiambao now with 17 points after another free throw
LA SALLE 88-67: Jake Figueroa with another basket for NU
LA SALLE 88-65: Mark Nonoy connects on a reverse layup, Kevin Quiambao sinks two free throws
LA SALLE 84-65: Mike Phillips goes 1/2 from the line, Jake Figueroa scores
LA SALLE 83-63: Francis Escandor splits his free throws
LA SALLE 82-63: Jake Figueroa scoops it in
LA SALLE 82-61: Jake Figueroa scores two from the line
LA SALLE 82-59: Raven Cortez beats the shot-clock buzzer with an undergoal stab
LA SALLE 80-59: Kean Baclaan converts off a timeout
LA SALLE 80-57: Mike Phillips throws it down
LA SALLE 78-57: Kevin Quiambao for three
LA SALLE 75-57: Reinhard Jumamoy with a tough baseline finish
LA SALLE 75-55: Evan Nelle sinks a turnaround jumper
LA SALLE 73-55: Raven Cortez with an uncontested layup, Patrick Yu cashes in a triple
LA SALLE 71-52: Kevin Quiambao splits his free throws, PJ Palacielo with an easy finish

Third quarter

END OF 3Q: La Salle continues to wax hot from long distance as it pulls away from NU, 70-50
LA SALLE 70-50: NU with four straight hits from the line
LA SALLE 70-46: Mark Nonoy swishes his fourth three of the game
LA SALLE 67-46: Mike Phillips and Mike Malonzo trade buckets
LA SALLE 65-44: Jonnel Policarpio and Mark Nonoy with 5 straight fastbreak points to stretch the Green Archers’ lead to 21
LA SALLE 60-44: Evan Nelle walks into a booming triple
LA SALLE 57-44: Reinhard Jumamoy with 4 straight points for NU off the bench
LA SALLE 57-40: Back-to-back baskets for Kevin Quiambao as he knocks down a three-pointer
LA SALLE 54-40: Kevin Quiambao with an easy basket down low
LA SALLE 52-40: Escandor hits from downtown, Nelle adds two more
LA SALLE 47-40: Jake Figueroa with 4 straight points
LA SALLE 47-38: Jake Figueroa goes 2/2 from the stripe
LA SALLE 47-36: Francis Escandor opens the second half with a putback layup

First half performers

Mark Nonoy (LA SALLE) – 13 points, 3/4 3FG
Evan Nelle (LA SALLE) – 8 points, 5 assists
Michael Phillips (LA SALLE) – 6 points, 3/4 FG
Kean Baclaan (NU) – 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Mike Malonzo (NU) – 6 points, 3/3 FG, 4 rebounds

Second quarter

HALFTIME: Mark Nonoy catches fire in the second quarter as La Salle takes a 45-36 lead over NU
LA SALLE 45-36: Kean Baclaan cuts the Green Archers’ lead to single digits with a left hand finish
LA SALLE 45-34: Earl Abadam splits from the line
LA SALLE 44-34: Kean Baclaan drops it off to Mark Padrones for an easy two
LA SALLE 44-32: Kevin Quiambao completes a three-point play
LA SALLE 41-32: Jolo Manansala with a teardrop off a feed by Jake Figueroa
LA SALLE 41-30: Francis Escandor pushes the Green Archers’ lead to its largest with a corner three-pointer
LA SALLE 38-30: PJ Palacielo scores
LA SALLE 38-28: Jake Figueroa and Kevin Quiambao exchange layups
LA SALLE 36-26: Mark Nonoy stays red-hot as he fires another long bomb
LA SALLE 33-26: Jake Figueroa nails two free throws
LA SALLE 33-24: Mark Nonoy stops and pops for his second triple
LA SALLE 30-24: Mike Malonzo floats one in
LA SALLE 30-22: Joshua David joins the three-ball party
LA SALLE 27-22: 8 straight points for Kean Baclaan as he goes 2/2 from the line
LA SALLE 27-20: Mark Nonoy drains a long bomb, Kean Baclaan soars high for a tough layup
LA SALLE 24-18: Kean Baclaan scores again for NU
LA SALLE 24-16: Kean Baclaan ends NU’s drought with a crafty finish
LA SALLE 24-14: Mark Nonoy extends the Green Archers’ lead to double-digits with a layup transition
LA SALLE 22-14: Mark Nonoy slices the defense and scores

First quarter

END OF 1Q: La Salle gets off to a good start against NU with a 20-14 lead
LA SALLE 20-14: Malonzo tips in Baclaan’s miss
LA SALLE 20-12: Joshua David adds two more inside
LA SALLE 18-12: Jonnel Policarpio banks in a layup
LA SALLE 16-12: Patrick Yu takes it strong inside for a deuce
LA SALLE 16-10: Mike Phillips and Jonnel Policarpio with back-to-back baskets
LA SALLE 12-10: Evan Nelle now with 8 points as he drills a three-pointer
NU 10-9: Mike Phillips hits his second basket of the game
NU 10-7: Kean Baclaan dishes it to PJ Palacielo for an open layup
NU 8-7: Jake Figueroa goes 1/2 from the line
7-7: Patrick Yu swishes from deep
LA SALLE 7-4: PJ Palacielo converts down low
LA SALLE 7-2: Evan Nelle pulls up for a mid-range jumper
LA SALLE 5-2: Evan Nelle completes an and-one play
2-2: Mike Phillips fakes and scores inside
NU 2-0: Mike Malonzo swishes a floater

Starters

LA SALLE: Evan Nelle, Francis Escandor, Kevin Quiambao, Mike Phillips, Raven Cortez
NU: Kean Baclaan, Donn Lim, Jake Figueroa, Mike Malonzo, Omar John

Preview

Riding on a red-hot eight-game winning streak, the La Salle Green Archers shoot for a quick entry to the finals when they lock horns with the NU Bulldogs in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday, November 25, at the Araneta Coliseum.

The second-seeded Green Archers, led by MVP frontrunner Kevin Quiambao, are armed with a twice-to-beat advantage heading into this highly anticipated playoff matchup after finishing the elimination round with an 11-3 record, capped by a momentum-boosting 72-69 win over their archrival Ateneo Blue Eagles last Saturday, November 18.

Expect Quiambao to once again be at the forefront of the Green Archers’ attack as they gun for their first finals appearance since Season 80 in 2017.

The sophomore big man Quiambao averaged an impressive all-around stat line of 16.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 6 assists for La Salle in 14 games played in the elimination round, including two triple-double performances.

Aside from Quiambao, La Salle will also need its veteran guards Evan Nelle and Mark Nonoy to come up big and steady the ship for the Green Archers as they go up against NU’s gritty floor generals in Kean Baclaan and Steve Nash Enriquez.

The Bulldogs failed to force a triple-tie and a playoff for the No. 2 spot that comes with twice-to-beat bonus after falling to the UP Fighting Maroons, 79-57, in their final game of the elimination round last Sunday, November 19.

Look for Baclaan and Enriquez to deliver huge bounce-back performances for the Bulldogs after being held to just 3 and 2 points, respectively, in their previous outing.

NU’s main gunner Jake Figueroa, who is averaging 12 points and close to 7 rebounds per contest, must also rise to the occasion as the Bulldogs hope to stay alive and drag the Green Archers into a rubber match.

Game time is 6 pm. – Rappler.com