The DLSU Green Archers will be without EJ Gollena as they shoot for the UAAP Season 88 Final Four against rival Ateneo to close the elimination round.
La Salle’s UAAP Season 88 Final Four bid hit a snag after EJ Gollena was handed a one-game suspension for his disqualifying foul during the Green Archers’ game against the UP Fighting Maroons over the weekend.
Gollena, who played just five minutes in the game, committed the disqualifying foul with 6.6 seconds left in the first quarter against UP’s Francis Nnoruka.
Just before a throw in for the Fighting Maroons, Gollena closed his fist and appeared to punched Nnoruka in the stomach after the latter forcefully used his forearms to remove Gollena’s hands from his midsection.
The UP big man was also slapped with a technical for the sequence.
Later, Nnoruka was also sent off after incurring a delay of game technical foul with less than a minute left.
Nnoruka swiped the ball from a La Salle player before inbounding the ball which netted him the violation.
However, there is no word yet whether Nnoruka will also be handed a suspension. UP's next game will already by in the Final Four against the no. 3 seed.
[RELATED: La Salle repeats over UP in second round of UAAP Finals rematch]
Gollena will serve the suspension when La Salle faces Ateneo in a bid for the Final Four on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A win by the Green Archers assures them a spot in the semis and will secure them a face off against twice-to-beat NU in the Final Four.
A loss, meanwhile, will mean that they will have to go through a possible playoff against either Ateneo or FEU, depending on the result of the other game between the FEU Tamaraws and the UST Growling Tigers.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.