DLSU edges Ateneo
Green Archer Jeron Teng rises for a shot over two Blue Eagles at yesterday’s UAAP action. Teng hit the game winner as DLSU beat Ateneo, 66-64.
Silent nearly all game, La Salle’s Jeron Teng chose the most opportune time to strike the dagger to the heart of rival Ateneo.
Entrusted with the La Salle’s final offensive, Teng made the most out of his one-on-one skills to drill it in as the Archers scored a pulsating 66-64 win over Ateneo to take solo third in the UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball tourney at the packed Smart Araneta Coliseum yesterday.
“We just had to get the ball to Jeron and I told him to just make a good decision. If he gets a double (team), he knows where the other guys will be. He saw no double and made a good decision there,” said DLSU coach Juno Sauler.
With 14.5 seconds to make something happen, Teng took on defender Chris Newsome, saw no help defense, spun and knocked down the marginal basket that led to La Salle’s seventh win against four losses. They now stand just one game behind new leader NU (8-3) and half a game off struggling Far Eastern (8-4).
“All throughout, I couldn’t get my rhythm but I was thankful that coach trusted me with the last play,” said Teng, who finished with a meager eight points, his night hampered by foul trouble.
La Salle picked up its fourth straight win as it pulled down Ateneo (6-5) to a share of fourth with University of Santo Tomas, which outlasted FEU in two overtimes, 79-78, in the other game.
Head to head, the Archers duplicated their 82-73 triumph over the Eagles in the first round, sweeping their rivals in the elims for the first time since 2005.
Almond Vosotros paced DLSU with 19 points, making nine of his output in the fourth quarter, where he sparked a 13-2 blast that gave the Archers a 61-55 cushion with 3:52 left.
Ateneo fiercely fought back and managed to tie it all up at 64, on a double-pump, twisting shot by Kiefer Ravena.
“It just went down to the breaks of the game,” said Perasol of the intense game that went downto-the-wire.
The game was witnessed by 16,353 spectators. It was so intense that a commotion ensued postmatch, involving Ateneo coach Bo Perasol and a “heckling” fan. Witnesses said Perasol, and a fan in the La Salle side of the patron area engaged in a verbal altercation as the Blue Eagles were heading to the dugout. Perasol was captured on photo while trying to get past the railing towards the fan.
Notes: The woes of University of the East continue as the UAAP slapped Ralf Olivares with a two-game suspension for “multiple instances of unsportsmanlike behavior” during the Warriors’ loss to National U the other day. In a memo, commissioner Chito Loyzaga said Olivares should have been slapped an unsportsmanlike foul when he planted a foot on the stomach of NU’s Nico Javelona. This plus the unsportsmanlike foul he was assessed for throwing an elbow to Robin Rono merited a one-game ban. And later, while sitting on the bench, Olivares banged his body on NU’s Joeff Javillonar, which according to Loyzaga, was an “unsportsmanlike action,” and thus, should get an extra one-match penalty. Olivares’ suspension came at a bad time as the Warriors will still miss Charles Mammie in their next outing against La Salle on Wednesday. Mammie will serve the remainder of his two-game suspension against the Archers.... Loyzaga also gave NU’s Emmanuel Mbe a first warning for elbowing Chris Javier in the same game. The scores: Second Game DLSU 66 – Vosotros 19, Perkins 13, Revilla 11, Teng 8, Torres 6, Van Opstal 4, Montalbo 3, Salem 2, Tampus 0, Reyes 0, Dela Paz 0, Bolick 0.
ADMU 64 – Tiongson 14, Elorde 13, Ravena 12, Buenafe 9, Newsome 8, Pessumal 4, Golla 2, Erram 2, Tolentino 0, Enriquez 0, Capacio 0.
Quarterscores: 13-16, 31-33, 46-49, 66-64