Maroons hand Archers first preseason loss

The Green Archers absorbed their first setback in the preseason at the hands of the UP Maroons; 61-68. The Archers jumped off to a hot 10-0 start in the first quarter but the Maroons regrouped and slowly inched their way back and eventually took the lead at halftime. It was all UP from thereon as their end-game composure sealed the win for them.

The Archers looked a step slower and more tentative today as compared to their previous game. Though they played the Maroons tough, the later seemed to have more juice in their tank. The rebounds, the height, the maturity and the experience, UP just had it more today. The only thing the Archers had more were the fouls and boy did it hit them hard down the stretch.

The taller Maroons dominated the boards all game long, most especially when our bigs were saddled with foul trouble. The Archers were not able to get too many second chance points as UP took control of the paint. Adding to the woes of the team were the missed foul shots and several in-and-out attempts which could have spelled the difference in this game.

Anyway, let us give the young guys credit for going toe-to-toe with the Maroons. With key additions Silungan and Saret joining the team’s well-seasoned holdovers, UP might just finally erase the stigma of being the only team who was not able to play in the final 4 the previous decade.

The Green Archers will play Ateneo this Saturday before they go abroad for training. Though they have lost their top 3 players from last year, the Blue Eagles are the Blue Eagles and admittedly, they are still a formidable team going into this season.

The Archers are the underdogs here so they should just play relaxed and make the most of out this early encounter with them.

Box Scores

DLSU 61 – Banal 9, Dela Paz 8, Ferdinand 7, Villanueva 7, Webb 6, Atkins 5, Andrada 5, Paredes 4, Vosotros 4, Marata 2, Tampus 2, Mendoza 2, Elorde 0, Reyes 0, Tolentino 0,

Quarter Scores: 21-16; 37-40; 46-55; 61-68

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