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The ¿ªÔªÕæÈË(¿ªÔªÕæÈË) Green Archers clinched a hard-earned victory in their semi-finals match against the National Chengchi University (NCCU), with a score of 87–82, at the World University Basketball Series earlier today at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium.

At the start of the game, momentum surged quickly as Mouhamadou Moustapha Ndiaye secured the first possession for NCCU, but it was La Salle’s Henry Agunanne who claimed the first point, putting the Green Archers up by two. Nine minutes in, Chuang Chao Sheng and JC Macalalag exchanged baskets to tie the game at 4-all. With 6:44 on the clock, Agunanne’s powerful dunk kept the Taft-based squad energized, but despite trailing by 11 points, Sung Hsin Hao’s long two-pointer managed to cut the deficit to five, 11–6. With 3:30 remaining, Kevin Quiambao, CJ Austria, and Mike Phillips retaliated to push La Salle’s lead back to nine, 19–10, and after a timeout, Phillips and Earl Abadam followed up with a dunk and an easy shot to reinforce their advantage. In the final 42 seconds of the quarter, NCCU capitalized on free throws to close the gap to 23–15, but a final Quiambao-Austria tandem play ended the quarter with Austria tipping in an easy basket, bringing the score to 25–15.

Macalalag kicked off the second quarter by weaving through and banking in the first points for the Green Archers, 27–15. Although Abadam drained a three-pointer less than three minutes in, this was followed by a quick layup from Sung as NCCU began to chip away at the deficit. After Lian Ramiro drained another trey to extend La Salle’s lead to 14 points, Hsu Te Chi answered with a layup at the six-minute mark, narrowing the gap to 35–23. However, Ramiro responded with back-to-back three-pointers, maintaining his team’s advantage. With 3 minutes left, Boubacar Mboup banked in a shot, and Wu Zhi Kai followed up with a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to just seven at 43–36. Due to the Archers’ strong offensive and defensive efforts, Seny Pathe Ndiaye struggled to break through Taft’s double team defenders by the net, while Doy Dungo managed to power through NCCU’s defenders with a determined play, capping the quarter at 51–38.

Starting the third quarter, EJ Gollena effortlessly tipped in a shot at the 9:10 mark, extending the lead to 53–40. The Green Archers maintained their dominance after another powerful dunk from Phillips’ but with 5:25 remaining, Chuang drained a three-pointer for NCCU, narrowing the gap to just 10. Because of NCCU’s intense defense, La Salle struggled to secure consistent points during the quarter before Abadam responded with a crucial three-pointer, pushing the score to 60–47. Lee Yun Chieh then answered back with a three of his own, once again cutting the deficit to 10 at 2:30. Quiambao then sank a three-pointer at the 2-minute mark, followed by Phillips setting up a slam dunk, pushing the score to 65–57. But it was Dungo who capped off yet another quarter with a strong layup, extending the lead to 67–59 as the third quarter came to a close.

In the final quarter, Sung sank a three-pointer early in the game, narrowing the gap to just six points. Wu followed up with another three-pointer, but Abadam quickly responded with one of his own at the 7:50 mark. Wu’s determination shone as he drove through Quiambao to make a layup, bringing the score to 70–67. With five minutes remaining, the Archers engaged in a slow-paced, defensive battle marked by fouls, but Ramiro’s defensive resilience and Quiambao’s clutch three-pointer finally pushed their lead to 74–67. Sung managed to get another three-pointer in with 1:45 left on the clock, but Phillips matched this with an easy tip-in, giving La Salle another four-point cushion at 76–72. In a fiercely contested sequence, Hsu tied the game at 76-all with a layup in the final 2.8 seconds, setting up an overtime play for the match.

Eager to end the match in overtime, Quiambao powered through three defenders to score, bringing the game to 80–79 with 3:05 on the clock. This was followed by Gollena drilling a three-pointer well within 30 seconds to keep the Archers’ momentum alive. As the final two minutes trickled down, Macalalag drove past NCCU’s defenders for an easy layup, further extending La Salle’s lead to 85–79. Despite Wu hitting a three-pointer to narrow the gap to just three points with 1:10 on the clock, Quiambao kept the Green Archers’ spirit alive in the final seven seconds of the match as he drew a foul and sank two free throws to make it 86–82. After a thrilling sequence of attempts, Gollena eventually sealed the win with a final free throw, ending the game at 87–82 and securing a spot for the Green Archers in the Finals game of the series.

Support the ¿ªÔªÕæÈË Green Archers as they enter the Finals match for the World University Basketball Series tomorrow, August 12, 5:40 PM, at the same venue. The tournament can also be streamed live on the Rakuten Sports Youtube Channel.

Quarter Scores: 25–15, 51–38, 67–59, 76–76, 87–82