Montalbo, Rivero lead La Salle to easy win over Adamson

Naveen Ganglani

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Montalbo, Rivero lead La Salle to easy win over Adamson
Despite missing two of their key players and quiet performances from Teng and Perkins, La Salle still had enough to easily dispatch Adamson

MANILA, Philippines – Arnold Van Opstal did not see action. Neither did Norbert Torres.

Jeron Teng and Jason Perkins scored only two points each, while Almond Vosotros didn’t have the best shooting performance.

And none of that mattered.

The De La Salle University Green Archers pulled away in the second half and easily dispatched the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 67-48, to win their third straight game and improve to 3-2 on Saturday afternoon, August 2, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Adamson, meanwhile, followed their disappointing loss to the NU Bulldogs last Wednesday, July 28, with another blowout mishap and fell to 0-5 on the season.

Kib Montalbo had the best game of his collegiate career by finishing with 18 points of 9-of-12 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, while rookie Prince Rivero contributed 12 markers and six boards to lead DLSU.

“We should have played with more energy in the first half,” said DLSU head coach Juno Sauler, who mentioned that the team doctor’s advice to rest Van Opstal, who’s been fighting through injuries, convinced him to let the big man sit.

Torres, meanwhile, is day-to-day and was also advised to take the week off.

When asked about the Soaring Falcons’ poor outing against NU coming in, Sauler stated:  “We didn’t even talk about it. Just like how we approach every game – not really who we play but what we want to accomplish.”

“Thank the Lord for this opportunity and [the] coaching staff for today,” added Montalbo, the Bacolod native who played his third game as DLSU’s starting PG after the injury to Thomas Torres.

Montalbo came out of the gates in the second half on fire, stroking three straight mid-range jumpers to keep La Salle ahead, 31-25. 

Following a missed 3-ball by Adamson center Ivan Villanueva, Rivero nailed a long-range bomb of his own to give DLSU their biggest lead of the afternoon, 34-25.

The Falcons then started to show their inexperience, settling for jumpers and forgetting to share the ball, leading to easy defensive stops for the defending champions. 

La Salle, meanwhile, leaned on Montalbo, Rivero, and fifth-year veteran Yutien Andrada to for the rest of the third period to pull away.

Entering the game’s final 10 minutes, the Green Archers were comfortably ahead by 16, 45-29, and never looked back.

Julian Sargent had 8 points and 3 assists for the Green Archers, while Vosotros finished with 8 markers, 4 boards, and 2 dimes.

Jansen Rios spearheaded Adamson with 11 points and 7 rebounds.

Filling in for Torres at the starting center slot, Abu Tratter was aggressive to start the game and earned consecutive trips to the free throw line. A pair of jumpers by Montalbo and Vosotros also helped La Salle get on top early, but Adamson managed to stay close, 7-6.

Both teams struggled on offense for the rest of the quarter, as the Green Archers converted only five of their first 19 shots while the Soaring Falcons went 4-of-15. 

After 10 minutes of action, the score read 13-8 in favor of DLSU.

The second quarter opened with both schools continuing to struggle from the field. Four minutes into the period, an easy layup by Vosotros and a pair of charities by Rivero pushed La Salle’s lead to nine, 17-8. 

However, the Soaring Falcons countered, leaning on a pair of consecutive baskets by Villanueva and an Axel Inigo jumper to get within three.

At the half, DLSU had a five-point lead, 23-18, taking advantage of 10 trips to the free throw line and making nine.

La Salle will look to make it four wins in a row when they take on the UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, August 6.

Adamson, on the other hand, will be back in action on Saturday, August 9, also against UP.

Scores

DLSU (67): Montalbo 18, Rivero 12, Sargent 8, Vosotros 8, Tratter 7, Andrada 6, Bolick 4, Teng 2, Perkins 2, Salem 0, Mustre 0

Adamson (48): Rios 11, Inigo 9, Monteclaro 9, Villanueva 8, Barrera 4, Ochea 3, Aquino 2, Nales 2, Pedrosa 0, Trollano 0

Quarter Scoring: 13-8, 23-18, 45-29, 67-48

– Rappler.com

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