Archers upset B.League team

NAGOYA – The De La Salle University men’s basketball team ended its four-game swing in two days with an 89-85 win over B.League D3 newcomer Veertien Mie last Sunday after losing three in a row at the Nagoya Gakuin University gym in Japan’s fourth most populous city. The Archers lost a 78-77 squeaker to the host varsity in their opener then went down to the D3 Toyoda Gosei Scorpions, 81-70, and D3 Gifu Swoops, 80-62, before closing the tour on a winning note.

Coach Derick Pumaren said the games got the Archers closer to peak form with the UAAP season opening Oct. 1. “We’re grateful we played against the No. 2 school team in Achi Prefecture and three physical D3 teams with experienced pros,” said Pumaren. “It wouldn’t have served our purpose if we faced teams that we could blow out. In the UAAP, there are teams that play big and teams that play small. We got a taste of both systems in our Nagoya games.” Archers center Michael Phillips said the experience will go a long way in toughening the team. “We almost made it to the Finals last season but we had difficulty in closing out games,” he said. “We learned a lot from the Japanese teams.”

Against Nagoya Gakuin, the Archers stormed back from 19 down in the second period to open a six-point lead, 73-67, with 3:59 to go behind Rayven Cortez and Mark Nonoy. Nagoya regained the lead, 78-77, and the Archers had a chance to win it on the final possession with 2.4 seconds left but missed a side jumper. Toyoda, No. 13 in the 15-team D3 last season, couldn’t pull away despite 7-foot Joe Wolfinger, 6-10 German-born Yasin Kolo and 6-6 former Rain or Shine import JD Weatherspoon. The Scorpions’ 14-point advantage was trimmed to seven with a minute left then Toyoda hit four straight points to end it.

Gifu, No. 10 in D3, was the Archers’ stiffest opposition with 6-8 Jerrel Wright, 6-8 Senegalese Sambou Andre and 6-9 Lithuanian Matas Jucikas. The Swoops sat on a 23-point cushion before Wright finished off the Archers with a triple at the final horn. But La Salle saved its best for last, zooming to an 8-0 start against Veertien and surviving seven turnovers in the last three minutes. After Veertien cut a 10-point deficit to one with two minutes left, Ben Phillips knocked down a three and CJ Austria hit another from deep. Veertien’s Joshua Martin nailed a three then Deschon Winston sank a free throw and Martin was called for an own goal in the dying seconds. Rookie Kevin Quiambao sat out the four games to rest from illness and was an active cheerleader on the bench.