MANILA, Philippines – As soon as Cameroon was eliminated from the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket, UAAP fans braced for the inevitable return of reigning MVP Ben Mbala to the DLSU Green Archers lineup.
Bumping shoulders with Africa’s best ballers, including present and former NBA talents, Mbala wowed the international audience by performing at a very high level, churning out 20- and 30-point games like he was playing against college foes.
Back in the Philippines, meanwhile, an Mbala-less La Salle still let the league remember why they are the defending champions, averaging 105 points in two straight wins against contending FEU and NU. As expected, these simultaneous, cross-continent shows of dominance by Mbala and the Archers heightened the anticipation for the day they merge as a unit once again.
Then the day came, September 20, and the Adamson Soaring Falcons were served as their first test. In a blink of an eye, the score was 17-3 in favor of the Archers. In his first two buckets, Mbala showcased a reverse layup and a 3-pointer off the catch, and everyone’s expectations looked right on key.
After the first, La Salle led 36-12. A 24-point lead, no sweat. Adamson got their bearings in the second, but all they got was a see-saw affair. The cruising Archers still led by 22 at the half, and Mbala had 21.
But as Coach Aldin Ayo assessed after the game, the champs coasted too much. The Soaring Falcons slapped on a 28-15 third quarter and even cut the lead to 7 at one point. Nothing changed until the final buzzer as La Salle slugged to an 85-73 win, 30 points less than their last game. Speaking of 30, that was also their total points for the entire second half. They had 36 in the first period alone.
Seemingly, the return of the MVP was more like a wrench thrown to the machine rather than oil. Although Mbala sank 11/16 field goals (69%), the rest of the team combined for 19/48 (40%).
Even Mbala himself, who had a career-high 32 points, 10 boards and 4 blocks, had butterfingers. His game-high 8 turnovers accounted for nearly a third of the Archers’ total giveaways at 26.
Coach Ayo did not mince words after the game. “That was a bad win,” he said. “We started strong, but down the stretch, we committed lots of mistakes. The players thought that after the first half, tapos na ‘yung laro.” (“The players thought that after the first half, the game was already over.”) “Noong second half, lumabas yung pagiging bata ng team namin,” he added. (“In the second half, the inexperience in our team showed.”)
However, he was also quick to note that the struggles were mainly caused by a lack of team execution instead of Mbala’s return. When asked whether the team’s lack of assists was caused by a “Ben-centric” game, Ayo replied, “The only problem was we did not execute, especially in the second half. It’s not about Ben. It’s about the players who did not stick to the game plan.” Ayo addressed this problem earlier and said it was “just a matter of putting things together.”
Coach Ayo may have put it lightly, but the warning has been issued to the rest of the league: “The good thing is Ben is already here, we’re already complete and we can start moving forward.”
The real horror is yet to come. While most teams celebrate a 12-point win, La Salle just called it “bad.” – Rappler.com