Playing in their second consecutive tight‑knit bout to open the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament, the La Salle Green Archers found the short end of the stick this time after bowing to the UST Growling Tigers, 80‑75, on Wednesday, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Senior wing Earl Abadam marked himself as one of five Green Archers scoring in double figures after dropping 13 points, along with 6 rebounds and a steal, but ultimately brushed off his performance due to the loss.
“Doesn’t really matter unless we get the win, we were just trying to focus on our defense this game, and we just didn’t pull through,” Abadam told Rebanse.
With the loss, the reigning champions now drop to an even 1‑1 slate to begin their title defense, with their sole win against the NU Bulldogs coming by a single point.
Abadam Rues La Salle’s Slow Execution
La Salle had multiple chances to take the lead in the game’s waning minutes, as a corner three from JC Macalalag in crunch time trimmed the La Salle deficit to just one, but timely buckets from the stripe eventually sealed the victory for the Growling Tigers.
Abadam lamented the Taft‑based squad’s late‑game miscues for the second straight match, as the team will return to the playbook with the league set to enter a two‑week break as its players prepare to represent the country in the 20th Asian Games.
“We need to try to slow things down, and really be able to execute our plays, and I think it’s back to the drawing board for us,” Abadam said. “We have a 14‑day break, [We’re] just taking it one day at a time, this is a game where it can ground us, and propel us forward.”
Abadam and the Green Archers will return to action on Wednesday, September. 30, against the host school FEU Tamaraws, also at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
