UAAP: Teng’s late game heroics tows Archers in season opener

When times get tough, clutch players rise to the occasion.

Reminiscent of his FilOil preseason dagger trey over Kiefer Ravena, rookie Archer Jeron Teng does it again in crunch time by hitting a tough floater over the outstretched defense of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons for a 73-68 win last July 15 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

“I know Jeron. Everytime we go into practice, we know as a coaching staff. We know what he can do, what he could provide us,” La Salle head coach Gee Abanilla praises.

After a huge 15 point lead in the third canto evaporated with an Alvin Padilla swish to seize a skinny 67-66 lead, Teng and Revilla responded back with key baskets, while the big men Norbert Torres and Yutien Andrada toughened the defense late in the game to seal the deal.

The duo of Xavier school’s hotshot and newly minted captain Revilla did most of the scoring duties as they combined for 30 points to thwart the Maroons’ comeback attempt.

Revilla also added 11 boards along with seven dimes.

“I think the one-two punch of LA Revilla and Jeron Teng is really good. I think we have to exploit this also,” Abanilla explained.

FilOil Mythical Five member Norbert Torres showcased maximum efficiency as he tallied in an impressive double-double with 16 markers on a 56% shooting along with 14 carroms.

“Luckily, he [Torres] was able to show a different facet of his game, his passing ability. He [Torres] was able to able to locate other cutters to the basket and that’s really good for us,” adds Abanilla.

On the other hand, Mike Silungan led the way for the Diliman-based squad with 18 points and 5 rebounds, but the Diliman sniper struggled to find his outside touch with a mediocre 33 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Negrense big man Raul Soyud added eight points and did most of the dirty work down low with 11 boards.

Both teams struggled in the early going as they missed point-blank shots until Torres drew first blood with his basket at the 8:42 mark.

The Green-and-White then triggered a quick 6-point spurt to take a 10-7 lead, forcing the Maroons to call time. The opening canto ended in favor of the Archers with a slim 17-16 advantage.

A seesaw warfare is what the teams grinded out during the second quarter, incurring five deadlocks and lead changes.

The Diliman-based squad only led by a slim margin of two points at 7:18 after a Jett Manuel jumper.

Green marksman Luigi Dela Paz corner tripled before igniting a 7-4 run to end the 1st half, where a 35-29 lead favored the boys from Taft.

Always being pointed out as a mediocre free throw shooting team, the Abanilla-mentored squad silenced all doubts as they shot a respectable 67 percent, making 18 of their 27 attempts from the charity stripe, including pressure shots in the finals act.

They also continued their mastery of the boards by outrebounding the opposition with a 52-44 slate.

With Coach Gee’s first UAAP win as head coach in the books, he hopes the team sustains their composure as they are set to face the University of the East Red Warriors this coming Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We have prepared something, and I think it’s going to be a fast game for us. So we want to maintain our composure also when it comes to transition,” concludes Abanilla.

Quarter scores: 17-16, 35-29, 56-46, 73-68

The scores:

La Salle (73) – N. Torres 16, Teng 15, Revilla 15, Andrada 10, Dela Paz 9, Mendoza 6, Webb 2, Van Opstal 0, Paredes 0, Vosotros 0, Gotladera 0, Tallo 0, Maguera 0.

UP (68) – Silungan 18, Asilum 12, Lopez 10, Soyud 8, Padilla 7, Manuel 5, Ball 4, Romero 2, Hipolito 2, Wierzba 0, Montecastro 0, Gamboa 0, Gallarza 0.

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