MANILA, Philippines – Even with hardly any stakes on the line, Mike Phillips is guaranteed to play every game like a do-or-die affair. That is, without hyperbole, exactly what the La Salle community witnessed on Wednesday, November 6, as the former UAAP Mythical Five member and reigning champion bullied the gutsy, Final Four-seeking FEU Tamaraws and helped the Green Archers enact a 58-53 escape at the Mall of Asia Arena. Phillips stuffed the stat sheet to the brim with a huge line of 17 points, 15 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 blocks, and 2 assists in less than 23 minutes of action, successfully offsetting MVP Kevin Quiambao’s horrid shooting day of 8 points on a 2-of-17 clip with 13 boards as consolation.
Amid a wild, back-and-forth contest that featured a 21-2 second-quarter La Salle run and a 21-6 third-period response from FEU, Phillips was again the constant, unshakeable pest hounding the Tamaraws on both ends of the floor, skying or diving for the ball as he saw fit for the situation. Following a go-ahead Raven Gonzales floater with 1:16 to play, 52-51, Phillips pushed La Salle further up with a buzzer-beating hook at the 52-second mark, 54-51, before sinking a stunning Hail Mary fling over the outstretched arms of lanky beast Mo Konateh plus the foul with just 24.1 seconds to go, 56-51.
Although Phillips missed the bonus free throw while Konateh sank his charities on the other end with 22.6 ticks left, 53-56, floor general Joshua David caught FEU sleeping in the clutch as .