Defense kept Archers alive -- Phillips

MANILA, Philippines -- With their backs against the wall, the La Salle Green Archers banked on going back to their defensive identity to equalize the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament Finals.

La Salle was down 0-1 in the best-of-three championship series and had to win Game 2 to keep their title defense bid alive.

The Archers escaped with a 76-75 win on Wednesday to force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday.

After the game, Mike Phillips said that they tried to go back to their defensive identity during Wednesday’s win.

“I think we just came into this game, we just try to come back to our identity. And our identity is just defending… If our offense is struggling, I think they say walang malas sa defense, because it's all about effort,” he told reporters.

“So we just wanted to come out and just give all that effort and try to set the tone for our other teammates that have come off the bench. It was really a five-man process,” he added.

Phillips said that the team makes it a point to build what they have been trying to do so the last year, which made them a dominant machine in the league.

“Coach gives us the freedom to make mistakes because the trust is there. Coach trusts us to use our best judgment. And we trust each other that if we make a mistake, they're going to be there to help us cover it up and help us make that mistake less worse,” he said.

“And so, you know, nothing's guaranteed, nothing about the start. But we just try to go out there and just do what we've been trying to build for the last year, the last two years.”

La Salle on Wednesday forced UP to shoot just 36.8% from the field. The Diliman-based squad made 25 of their 68 field goal attempts.

In comparison, the Green Archers shot 30-of-65 from the field, good for 46.2%. But they made just 10 of their 23 from the free throw line, which was a big story especially as they needed the Fight Maroons’ own missed free throws as well as late mishaps to grab the win.

Phillips stressed that the team just held onto their faith – on God and on each other – as the going got tough in the final minutes.

“Wins and losses, God is there. Emotions are so high, I'm sure, on both ends. When anxiety sets in, when nervousness sets in, like in that third quarter, that fourth quarter, you always have to find something that's consistent,” he said.

“That's our faith. That's our faith in Jesus Christ. That's our faith in each other. We put our total trust in each other. That's why when we pulled through, all of us had the same faith. All of us had the same experience because we just trusted each other.”

The winner-take-all Game 3 will be on Sunday, 5:30 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.