LA Salle’s men’s and women’s basketball squads are having contrasting UAAP Season 87 campaigns so far as the first round comes to its final week.
That, however, didn’t stop two standout Archers, Michael Phillips and Luisa San Juan, from being locked in and guiding their respective crews to big victories in the past week as they were hailed the Collegiate Press Corps Players of the Week for the period September 25 to 29.
Phillips was a consistent force for the Green Archers yet again after posting double-double performances in their wins against Far Eastern University (FEU) and University of Santo Tomas (UST) to reach a 5-1 win-loss card.
To outlast the Tamaraws, 68-62, Phillips poured in 13 points and pulled down 14 rebounds with a pair of assists and blocks, while in hunting down the Growling Tigers, 88-67, he finished with 12 points and 18 boards plus two assists and a block.
The agile 6-foot-8 forward averaged 12.5 points, 16.0 rebounds (6.5 from the offensive end), 2.0 assists, and 1.5 blocks to win the weekly award backed by Discovery Suites and World Balance.
Those numbers boosted him past reigning MVP teammate Kevin Quiambao, the University of the Philippines’ Quentin Millora-Brown and Terrence Fortea, FEU’s Jorick Bautista and Mo Konateh, and the University of the East’s John Abate.
“I think I kind of speak for every one of my teammates. We can’t really do this on our own. I don’t want to put myself in a partial light, because I’m just a part of the team,” Phillips said.
“But to continue to be that force, it’s just really to try our best to wake up every day and really appreciate what you have. No matter how hard it really gets … just really stay true to what you have.”
San Juan, meanwhile, waxed hot to carry the Lady Archers, currently with a 1-5 record, to their first win of the season by tying the league record for most threes made in a game.
She came up with a season-high 34 points with a 10-of-20 clip from beyond the arc, six rebounds, and a pair of assists and steals to shut down the Lady Tamaraws, 89-65, before contributing 16 points, three rebounds, an assist, three steals and a block in a close 68-76 defeat to defending champion UST.
The third-year guard averaged 25.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.5 steals to best National University’s Angel Surada, Ateneo’s Sarah Makanjuola and reigning MVP Kacey dela Rosa, UST’s Kent Pastrana, and Adamson’s Kem Adeshina.
“I got my confidence from my teammates and my coaches. They believe in me, and the trust that they give me, ‘yun ang pinaka malaking bagay for me,” the 22-year-old San Juan said.
“I don’t know the records, but I’m grateful. I wasn’t expecting that, I just do my role, and I think it starts with kung ano pinapagawa samin ni Coach Cholo (Villanueva).”
