UST vs. LaSalle: UAAP 73 On Sunday August 1, 2010

After the Ateneo and La Salle thriller ball game which La Salle took thru Samuel Joseph Marata's two big three pointers in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter. They gained so much confidence out of that game it was very evident during their game against FEU last thursday wherein they've translated that confidence to intensity. In every possession of FEU La Salle matched their intensity up to the very end of the fourth quarter. Their effort resulted to a double overtime game. Although in the second overtime of that game FEU's Pipo Nondou dominated La Salle's big men. In the end FEU won that game. They remain unbeaten. They are the only unbeaten team in this year's UAAP.

La Salle made a gallant stand in that game. Not only they posted a great challenge to the mighty FEU Tamaraws, they also made a great statement that they are ready to face the big time teams of the league. Their performance in that game was very different from their performance in the pre-season tournaments. Most critics say that they're too young to be one of the top teams in this year's UAAP. They are young but that doesn't mean they can't win. Youth for La Salle stands for hardwork, agility, oneness and eagerness. These things are very evident in La Salle's performance this year. Despite their loss to FEU who's a very very strong team to begin with, I still consider La Salle as a contender to be the champions this year.

La Salle has established its rivalry with the Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles but their games against UST Growling Tigers-the oldest university in Asia, has also been as exciting as their games against Ateneo. It's just one of the many reason why I will watch UST vs. LaSalle on this coming Sunday August 1, 2010. It will be the main event on Sunday, 4pm live on Studio 23.

The UST Growling Tigers on the other hand has been on a rollercoaster ride kind of a season. They loss to Adamson Falcons. That game was very close until the last buzzer. It was Lester Alvarez who made the winning three pointers against UST. UST's defense was great in that game but Alvarez' shooting and assists to Austin Manyara that pave the way for the Falcons. After that loss UST climb the crest and once again they have reached their peak when they beat the surging and gritty NU Bulldogs. They made sure that they will win that game through their tough and energetic defense against Emmanuel Mbe and Kokoy Hermosisima.

Their past games (DLSU and UST) all the more made their upcoming game on Sunday exciting than before.

One very memorable game of La Salle and UST was during the UAAP Season 71 when Maui Villanueva made the biggest shot of his career against the Tigers: Here's the video and the credit goes to YouTube:



DLSU broke UST's heart in this game. Will they have a repeat or will it be the other way around?

It's a must win for these two teams as this upcoming game will determine who will place 2nd on the team standings.

May the best and deserving team win.

In this game DLSU once again prevailed over UST. And just like before, they broke the hearts of those UST fans inside and outside the venue. De La Salle showed their might and strength beating UST to the ground via whopping 61-53 win. De La Salle's prized rookie Almond "The Flying V" Vosotros from the school helped his beloved DLSU in winning the game thru his back breaking hang time moves and his killer crossovers and in and out dribbling which shocked Jeric Fortuna and UST's big men as their shot blocking abilities were all dodge by Vosotros.

In the latter part of the game UST managed to make a run despite La Salle's clamping full court press led by former UP Integrated School floor general Joel Tolentino. But Papot Paredes and Yutien Andrada, and the best player of the game Jovet Mendoza of La Salle held their fort by blocking shots, grabbing crucial rebounds and shooting undergoal lay-ups against Carmelo Afuang and Chris Camus.

It was heartbreaking for UST but if they want to prevent a finals meeting of DLSU and FEU in this year's UAAP they have to improve on their game.

This is one of those golden years of UAAP wherein two of the top teams, FEU and DLSU are bona fide strong teams who are in it to win it this year. For now, I certainly believe that it is inevitable that FEU and DLSU will be facing each other in the finals beacause of their convincing performances. DLSU is really a darkhorse. They are proving that they're already matured and they have transcended their age.