MANILA, Philippines – The De La Salle Green Archers continued their spiral down the UAAP Season 78 league standings following their loss to rival Ateneo Blue Eagles this past Sunday, November 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The loss to Ateneo was La Salle’s third straight, dropping them to 5-7 for the fifth seed that currently keeps them out of the Final Four picture.
One player who’s been absent from La Salle’s rotation in their past two contests is second-year defensive specialist Julian Sargent, who DLSU head coach Juno Sauler said hurt his hamstring in the team’s defeat to the Adamson Soaring Falcons.
“We don’t know when Julian will be back, but he’s our main defender also with (Joshua) Torralba,” said the third-year La Salle head coach on Sunday.
Sargent’s averaging only 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds a game this season, but it’s his ability to play man-up defense against the best perimeter player of opposing teams that La Salle has missed.
In the games the 6-foot-3 Green Archer has been absent, J-Jay Alejandro of NU scored 25 points and Von Pessumal had 17 points for Ateneo.
Sauler said that besides the defense, the team has missed the experience brought by his key stopper.
“[We came into] this season with 9 rookies. Julian, although he’s a sophomore, plays like a veteran. So whether it be his leadership or what he can contribute on the floor, it’s a big factor that he can’t get to play,” he said.
Not giving up
Talking about the loss to Ateneo, Sauler said that the Blue Eagles won because they shot better and showed more energy in the second half. DLSU was up by 10 at one point in the first half before surrendering the lead for good in the third period.
“They played with a lot of energy. (Aaron) Black [and] (Adrian) Wong stepped up in the second half. They took it one notch higher,” said Sauler.
“It’s really the energy of their second group in the second half – Wong, Black being in there, then them pushing the ball. Them controlling the boards with (Chibueze) Ikeh. That really was, to me, the biggest factor there.”
Although La Salle looks like they’re in free-fall mode right now, their Final Four fate is still in their hands.
The team they’re currently chasing for the fourth seed, the 6-7 Bulldogs, have one game remaining against the 10-2 FEU Tamaraws. If NU loses that, all DLSU needs to do is win their remaining contests against the 3-9 UP Fighting Maroons and Tamaraws.
If both teams have identical records after the elimination round, then a playoff will decide who gets the fourth seed.
“It’s not the losing streak, but it’s really looking forward to our last two games and the elimination,” said Sauler, who later added: “We just have to take care of business [in the] last two games.”
Sauler also said that despite the stream of recent losses, his Green Archers are still not willing to let the ship drown.
“The boys are out there fighting. No one’s giving up, so we’re looking forward to the challenges in the next two games,” he said.
“It’s just really finding a way to bring that energy when opposing teams play with a lot of energy.” – Rappler.com