Archers rip Falcons to go 2-0

MANILA, Philippines -- The La Salle Green Archers obliterated the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 82-52, to remain undefeated in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The Green Archers exploded from beyond the arc, sinking 15-of-37 3-pointers to shoot down the Falcons. 

Reigning Most Valuable Player Kevin Quiambao spearheaded the Green Archers with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. He also had two steals and a block.

Rookie sharpshooter Doy Dungo added 15 markers on 5-of-5 3-point shooting in 14 minutes off the bench.

It was a dominant wire-to-wire win for the defending champions, as they relied on their perimeter shooting to keep Adamson at bay right from the get-go.

They then found a higher gear in the second quarter, going up by 17 at the half, 44-27.

La Salle’s 3-point barrage started to connect in the second half.

Led by Quiambao, La Salle sank triple after triple in the third quarter as the onslaught continued on.

The 30-point advantage at the end of the game was the biggest lead, after Matt Rubico dialed in from rainbow country.

“We weren’t really looking at the score. We just played basketball. We tried to keep the energy, that’s why we pretty much used up everybody,” Robinson told reporters after the game.

“That’s just who we are, what we do. We just tried to fight ourselves to just really challenge it to the next level,” he added.

All in all, La Salle shot 31-of-73 from the field, good for 42.5%. They also recorded 27 assists and 52 rebounds as a team.

Adamson, on the other hand, was held to 18-of-61 shooting, good for 29.5% and 4-of-19 from beyond the arc.

La Salle big man Henry Agunanne flexed his muscles inside with a double-double of 11 points, 16 rebounds and one steal.

Ced Manzano paced the 1-1 Soaring Falcons with 15 points and eight rebounds on a 5-of-12 clip, being the only player in double digits.

The Archers will try to win their third straight game as they face bitter rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles. Adamson, meanwhile, will try to get back on track against University of Santo Tomas.

Both games will be on Sunday, September 15, at the Mall of Asia Arena.