It was one of the most intriguing games you’ll ever see in the UAAP.
The De La Salle Green Archers improved to 5-1 in UAAP Season 80 following a high-scoring 106-100 victory over the UE Red Warriors on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Not looking too far ahead to their finals rematch against Ateneo this Sunday, La Salle raced off to a quick start in the third period which allowed them to extend their lead and hold on the rest of the way for the victory.
Ben Mbala had another outstanding performance with a career-high 39 points on 10-of-12 shooting, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. The Cameroonian center also hit a near-perfect 19-of-20 from the foul stripe in only 23 minutes of action.
Ben Mbala skies high for ANOTHER alley-oop jam! #UAAPSeason80 pic.twitter.com/OhJ2BCdqke
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) October 4, 2017
His final scoring output would have been a UAAP record, but UE’s best player, Alvin Pasaol, finished the game with 49 points – the most scored by a player since the league started tracking statistics in 2003.
Alvin Pasaol = 49 PTS
Ben Mbala = 39 PTSGame respect game ?#UAAPSeason80 pic.twitter.com/o0UUudoDD8
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) October 4, 2017
Abu Tratter also had a career game with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Andrei Caracut contributed 11 points. The Rivero brothers each scored 8.
It was the second consecutive missed game for Aljun Melecio, who’s out with an illness.
The Green Archers shot only 5-of-20 from downtown but converted 33-of-36 from the foul stripe, good for 91.7%. DLSU did have issues on defense, allowing the Red Warriors to convert 52% of their attempts from the field, while coughing up 25 turnovers.
When La Salle takes on Ateneo this weekend, the Blue Eagles will enter the contest undefeated at 6-0. The Green Archers swept their rivals in last year’s finals, with Jeron Teng being named Finals MVP. The winner of the contest will lead the league standings at the conclusion of the first round.
Final Score: UE 100-106 DLSU#UAAPSeason80 ?#Stats pic.twitter.com/miY8Trixi7
— Pong Ducanes (@ompongski) October 4, 2017