La Salle’s Mike Phillips in opposition to UST in UAAP Season 87.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.internet
Michael Phillips was in a darkish place earlier than La Salle clashed with College of Santo Tomas (UST) within the UAAP Season 87 males’s basketball event.
However that didn’t cease him from offering the sunshine for the Inexperienced Archers, who trailed within the first quarter earlier than stampeding to an 88-67 conquer the badly outclassed Growling Tigers at Good Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
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“I’ve truly been going by lots of religious warfare the final couple days, weeks,” Phillips stated after one other dominant efficiency of 12 factors and 18 rebounds that boosted the defending champion Archers to a 5-1 file.
“I’m positive [that] when you guys have been in that state of affairs, the place all the things kinda feels darkish, one thing’s not proper, you don’t really feel proper, you simply kinda really feel such as you’re overwhelmed and the world’s simply spinning round you. I simply tried my hardest.”
Phillips was grieving the lack of Doleo Susalta, the evening obligation safety guard on the La Salle gamers’ dorm. Susalta, who grew to become an excellent good friend to the 6-foot-8 energy, lately handed away.
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“He at all times did a lot, and lots of occasions and he was simply doing the additional effort for us to verify we’re taken care of,” an emotional Phillips stated. “Extra than simply conserving us protected, he would at all times examine in on us and I might discuss to him for hours at evening and he would educate me Ilonggo and all the things.
“He only recently handed. He was wholesome. He was certainly one of my closest mates. I met him [when] I first got here right here to the Philippines,” he added.
With the Tigers storming out of the gates with an 18-8 run, Phillips and Kevin Quiambao willed the Archers again slowly. They wrested the lead earlier than halftime and have been by no means headed once more.
Bench energy
Vhoris Marasigan was one other shining gentle for La Salle with 11 factors, whereas Kevin Quiambao, who as soon as once more got here off the bench, added 10 factors and 6 rebounds.
Topex Robinson acquired his bench outscoring their UST counterparts, 49-18.
La Salle will cap off the primary spherical with a rematch of final 12 months’s Finals in opposition to College of the Philippines (UP), the one unbeaten workforce left within the subject, on Oct. 6.
“We’re excited. , UP is gonna be [a team] that we’re gonna be taught from. We by no means actually referred to as them our enemy. We at all times name them as worthy rivals as a result of they’re power is our weak spot,” Robinson stated. “We simply wanna take pleasure in taking part in in opposition to that mighty workforce. That basically will get us excited and it’s one thing that I’m positive all people will speak about.
“For us, we’re gonna be taught from them, that’s for positive and I do know it’s actually gonna be one thing that each one of you guys are enthusiastic about,” Robinson went on. “We’re simply gonna take pleasure in it and we simply wanna compete in opposition to the most effective workforce in school, and that’s how we see it.” INQ
