Unbeaten Archers toy with Warriors

MANILA, Philippines – Powerhouse La Salle romped off with a routine – and rather uneventful – 95-66 demolition of University of the East to move two games closer to a sweep of the UAAP LXXIX men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Import Ben Mbala asserted his might as usual and banged in 26 points to go with 20 rebounds and four blocks as he led the Archers to the wire-to-wire victory that ousted the Warriors (2-9) from the Final Four race for the seventh straight season.

As opposed to their relatively more intense encounter in the first round which led to coach Aldin Ayo getting ejected, this one was rather monotonous as La Salle flexed its muscles early and didn’t give the Warriors much chance to pose a serious threat.

“Umaangat na ang laro namin pero may mga aspects pa na kailangan namng trabahuhin (We’re raising our level of play but there’s still a lot of aspects that need improvement),” said Ayo.

“The good thing is, right now, I can say we’re playing as a team,” he added.

With Mbala manning the ramparts, the Archers totally dominated the boards, grabbing 71 rebounds against UE’s 34.

Jeron Teng added 20 markers and Thomas Torres had 11 to backstop Mbala.

Although a 14-0 record and an outright finals berth is within reach, DLSU refuses to get carried away.

“Tignan natin kasi marami pang pwedeng mangyari, like sa UE nung 2007, so hindi muna namin iniisip (A lot of things can still happen, just like what UE experienced in 2007 so we’re not really thinking about a sweep yet),” said Ayo, referring to the season when the Warriors had an unbeaten run in the elims only to lose to DLSU in the finals.

Alvin Pasaol led UE with 17 points and five boards.

In the second game, University of the Philippines prevailed over National U, 71-66, to keep its semis hopes alive.

The Maroons opened a 14-point margin in the fourth period and hung tough in the end to secure their fourth win in 12 games.