DLSU braces for a crucial UAAP second-round to punch Final Four ticket

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The De La Salle University Green Archers are preparing for a tough second round of basketball action in the ongoing UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament.

After kicking off the first round with emphatic wins over the UP Fighting Maroons and the ADMU Blue Eagles, the Green Archers fell to a 3-4 win-loss record and figured in a three-way tie with the Adamson Soaring Falcons and the UE Red Warriors.

It was a disappointing last stretch for DLSU after absorbing two-straight defeats at the hands of the National University Bulldogs and the Soaring Falcons.

Both losses were winnable games as the Green Archers fell to the Bulldogs, 80-76, while the Soaring Falcons edged them in overtime, 86-84.

Defensive lapses and lack of scoring in the clutch period affected the Green Archers’ losses against Adamson and NU and are looking to bounce back if they want to enter the Final Four.

Meanwhile, their other loss came from the Red Warriors when the Paranada brothers erupted and carried the entire UE team to victory.

Currently, the Fighting Maroons, Blue Eagles, and Bulldogs banner the top three spots after the first round of Season 85.

The Green Archers will still have six more games to redeem themselves and will begin its second-round campaign today when they face off against the struggling Growling Tigers.

Previously, the Derrick Pumaren-led squad already got the better of the Growling Tigers when they crushed them in the first round, 83-63.

The UAAP Season 85 will end its full elimination phase on November 23 when the Green Archers meet the Bulldogs in another high-octane battle.