MANILA, Philippines -- Deschon "Schonny" Winston put the UAAP on notice with a superb performance in his first ever game for De La Salle University last Saturday.

The Filipino-American guard, who previously played at the Central Michigan University, led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, along with six rebounds and three steals in 33 minutes.

He also hit key shots down the stretch as the Green Archers escaped with a 71-66 victory against the University of the East, for a winning start to their campaign in the UAAP Season 84 men's basketball tournament.

"It felt great. I was really excited to play this game in the UAAP, just a new country, and a new environment," said the 22-year-old Winston, who has two years of eligibility with the Green Archers.

"My team and I, we've been working hard for the past couple of months, so I was just happy to be brought there to compete," he added.

• GAME RECAP: De La Salle thwarts UE to pick up first win

Winston's 22 points were the most scored by any player on opening day, but the Fil-Am guard downplayed his outing and noted that anyone from the Green Archers can put up big numbers as well.

"I scored some big points. I tried to get a lot of points from steals and even layups," he said. "That's usually what we try to do; we try to press and make the team feel it so we can get the easy basket."

"But it could be anybody on our team that can get these numbers ," Winston stressed. "The defense that we play, the defense we want to play, would get easy points and easy steals."

Aside from Winston, big man Justine Baltazar also impressed, with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Evan Nelle, in his first game for the Green Archers, had 11 points and three assists.

The Green Archers limited UE to just 36.5% shooting, and forced them into 20 turnovers that they turned to 16 points.

The Red Warriors were no slouch defensively, as they pressured La Salle into 19 turnovers as well. But their interior defense was lacking, with the Green Archers scoring 48 points inside the paint. UE also had no answer for Winston, especially down the stretch.

"We should expect a lot of things from La Salle," Winston said. "I love my guys, I love Balti and Mark (Nonoy). They've really helped with the transition here. They've made me feel like family from the jump, so I couldn't ask for any better teammates and a better coach."

La Salle returns to action on Tuesday against National University at the Mall of Asia Arena.