Archers complete Final Four cast

Manila, Philippines – The chase is over.

With barely one more week to go in the elimination round, the De La Salle Green Archers completed the Final Four cast after eliminating the University of Sto. Tomas Growling Tigers, 78-69, on Thursday in the UAAP Season 73 men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.

National University’s loss to Far Eastern University in the first game enabled the Green Archers to formally clinch their return trip to the Final Four after missing the playoffs for the first time last season.

Their only misses were last year and in 2006 when the Archers were suspended for breaking eligibility rules.

Joshua Webb, who made it known after the game that he wanted to be known more as Spider, broke out from his personal slump and scored 14 points to pace the Green Archers.

“I felt tentative [in the previous games]. I kind of lost the fun. Now, I realized that basketball is supposed be fun, that I love basketball,” said Webb, whose birth name is David Joshua Spider.

The third year forward went 5-of-6 from the field and converted 4 of his 5 charities in only 19 minutes, easily his best game of the season.

With Webb providing the energy and spunk, the Archers seized a 66-50 advantage midway though the fourth period. Webb put up six points in that dizzying 13-4 run that gave the Archers their biggest lead in the game.

“This whole year, we have this monkey on our back, being the first La Salle team not being able to enter the Final Four. Even our coaches were telling us that it should be automatic [for La Salle to be in the Final Four],” Webb said.

Webb, however, was not the only Archer who badly wanted this win.

Team captain Simon Atkins and fellow veteran Maui Villanueva also did their share.

Atkins, who is having a career season, fired one of his three triples in between Webb’s gunslingings in the telling run at the onset of the fourth period.

Atkins wound up with also 14 points and dished out four assists. Villanueva chipped in 11 points as La Salle improved to 8-4, tying idle Adamson Falcons behind defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles (9-3) and Far Eastern University Tamaraws (10-2).

With a Final Four ticket already in the bag, Webb is far from satisfied.

“We still have a chance to get into the top two. We’ll try to get that. I’m happy that we won today and we’ll celebrate but we’ll get back to work and focus on our game [against UE on Saturday],” Webb said.

The Tigers tried hard but could not stop Webb and the rest of the Archers. They came closest at 35-40 on Clark Bautista’s three-pointer but Webb and Ferdinand came to the Archers’ rescue and padded the lead, 48-39.

Carmelo Afuang, who scored 15 points in the first half, led the Tigers with 19 while the Tigers’ two Jerics – Teng and Fortuna – combined for 2-of-10 from beyond the arc as they were beaten in their own game.

The Archers shot 6-of-18 from downtown while the Tigers were only 5-of-19. UST slipped to 4-8.

The Scores:

DLSU 78 – Webb 14, Atkins 14, Villanueva 11, Marata 9, Mendoza 8, Tolentino 7, Ferdinand 7, Andrada 7, Dela Paz 1, Vosotros 0, Tampus 0, Paredes 0.

UST 69 – Afuang 19, Teng 14, Fortuna 13, Mariano 10, Bautista 9, Camus 4, Pe 0, Lo 0, Daquioag 0, Aytona 0.

Quarters: 17-18, 36-27, 53-46, 78-69.

Alder Almo, UAAP Sports