The final battle

TOKYO – Last Monday’s title duel had the trappings of a titanic clash. La Salle and Korea University were the only unbeaten teams left of eight contenders in the three-day World University Basketball Series at the Yoyogi National Stadium here. Both barely survived their semifinal engagements, winning in OT and showed up ready for battle in the final.

The Archers, however, were short-handed as guard CJ Austria hurt his shoulder during a skirmish in the semis and sat out the title contest. His place was taken over by rookie Alex Konov who, as it turned out, couldn’t play because of a mix-up in his uniform number.

The action was fierce from the onset. Korean point guard Yuh Yeon Moon fired 10 points in the first quarter which the Archers took, 26-18. La Salle’s lead was cut to two at the half, 50-48 as Moon continued to sizzle with 12 more points. Late in the third period, the Archers ignited an 8-0 blast but Moon ended the frame with a four-point play in reverse, making a free throw, missing the second, grabbing the offensive rebound and hitting a three at the buzzer. Moon walked back to his bench with both hands on his cheek, copying Steph Curry’s “night, night” trademark. After three quarters, Moon had scored 30 points but slept too soon.

When the fourth quarter opened, La Salle burst out of the gates with a 15-0 run capped by Kevin Quiambao’s three-point play. Moon, bothered by cramps, was inconsequential in the last 10 minutes and hardly played. Michael Philips’ basket extended La Salle’s lead to 19 and the Archers held on to win, 101-86.

La Salle coach Topex Robinson’s gambit was to influence Korea to take twos instead of threes and allow Moon to “look good” while trying to single-handedly beat the Archers. Korea failed to buy a three in the opening period and ended up with only seven, two in the fourth when the game was on ice. Korea’s average three-point conversions was 9.5 on 35.5 attempts entering the game. Korea took only 28 triple tries against La Salle and bit Robinson’s bait. Moon was totally burned out down the stretch.

Henry Agunanne, an incoming UAAP rookie, paced the Archers with 25 points and tournament MVP Quiambao fired 15. Philips and rookie Vhoris Marasigan shot 14 apiece and another newbie Doy Dungo chipped in 10. Raven Cortez and Earl Abadam had eight each. Robinson got a technical in the second quarter for protesting a foul call when it appeared that a Korean player flopped. In the fourth quarter when La Salle went on a rampage, Korea panicked and was assessed an unsportsmanlike foul. The Archers dominated the boards, 45-32, and had more assists, 22-13.

Philippine Ambassador to Japan Her Excellency Milen Garcia-Albano was a special guest in the final and received the championship trophy on La Salle’s behalf. The night before, the Ambassador hosted a dinner reception for the La Salle delegation led by DLSU president Br. Bernie Oca at her residence. While the trip was a wonderful learning experience, the team has a lot more to improve on before the start of the UAAP season. Organizers mentioned that La Salle would be invited to defend the title next year.