The DLSU Green Archers came through with a much-needed 72-59 win against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons last September 20 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“With this victory, our destiny is in our own hands, we did what we needed to do, so that’s why we did our job,” said Head Coach Gee Abanilla after the game.
After the win, the squad now has a 9-5 record, the exact opposite of the team’s 5-9 finish last season. DLSU is now waiting for the results of the match between National University and Far Eastern University. The match will determine DLSU’s next step in its bid for a spot in the Final Four.
Abanilla furthered, “Despite all the injuries we had, and all the distractions, I think we managed to have a good 9-5 record, and that’s a really good feat for us.”
Balanced game behind Teng
Rookie Jeron Teng scored eight of his 19 points in the pay off period, leading La Salle to its fifth second round victory.
The forward also added a career-high of nine assists, four rebounds and a block. His shooting from the charity stripe also improved; he made 11 out of 13 free throw attempts.
“Just an amazing kid, Ang maganda sa batang ito, sa simula pa lang ng tournament magaling siya he has talent, but the good thing about Jeron is that his very coachable.” said Abanilla.
Teng played a different game. He chose to make extra passes instead of his usual ferocious forays to the basket. His unselfish play led to several open shots for the Archers as they racked up a total of 18 assists.
Norbert Torres broke out of his second round slump by scoring 12 points and hauling in 14 rebounds while rookie Thomas Torres chipped in 11 points of his own, highlighted by three triples. The Archers played a balanced game as nine players scored at least four points.
Roider Cabrera led Adamson with 17 points and three rebounds while Allen Etrone recorded 15 markers of his own in his last UAAP game. Adamson’s star wingmen Jericho Cruz and Eric Camson were shackled by the La Salle defense throughout the game, scoring just six and four points, respectively.
Free throws spelled the game
The fourth quarter ended with a free throw shootout. The Archers attempted 10 free throws, making seven, while the Falcons shot a miserable four out of 15 in the final period. La Salle’s lead fluctuated, reaching as much as 15 points midway through the quarter and dipping to a low of nine with less than four minutes remaining.
The Archers shot a combined 21 out of 30 from the stripe. Led by Teng’s 84 percent, La Salle turned a perennial weakness into a strength against the Falcons as the Taft-based squad capitalized on the chances the team received late in the game.
While the Archers showed improvement, the Falcons shot a miserable 44 percent on free throws. The team paid dearly for it in the form of a tenth loss. After making seven of ten attempts through the first three quarters, Adamson crumbled under pressure as the team missed 11 in the final 10 minutes of the game.
“Kulang pa rin maturity ng team namin and kulang pa yung killer instinct. There were parts that we had a good lead, but we did not manage it well. Maybe it’s because of the inexperience. That’s something we have to work on,” said Abanilla.
Composure from start to end
The Archers made a good start, ending the first quarter with a 17-8 advantage. N. Torres came out aggressive, scoring seven points in the opening period, taking advantage of the overwhelmed Adamson frontcourt to lead the Taft-based squad early on.
La Salle cooled off in the second quarter, failing to convert a field goal in the last 5 minutes and two seconds of the period after T. Torres drained a three pointer.
During this stretch, the Falcons clawed back and the Archers led by just six, 27-21, in the half.
In a span of two minutes midway through the third period, the Archers uncorked an 11-0 run, which was highlighted by back-to-back triples from Almond Vosotros.
La Salle finally went ahead of the feisty Adamson squad, 49-37, going into the final quarter.
The real battle begins
With this victory, DLSU is now at fourth place. The team is now anxiously waiting for the winner of the controversial rematch between the FEU Tamaraws and NU Bulldogs.
An FEU victory would eliminate the resilient NU team and would award the Taft-based squad fourth place in the Final Four. DLSU would then have to duel against the four-peat defending champions and archrival Ateneo.
“Siguro beggars can’t be choosers. Kung iyon talaga tadhana niyo at least alam namin bilog naman ang bola. Ateneo’s a strong team pero open kami dun.” said Abanilla.
On the other hand, if NU beats FEU, DLSU and the two aforementioned teams would have a three-way tie at 9-5. The quotient system would then be implemented and the Bulldogs would be ranked third because of the team’s superior quotient. A playoff game between DLSU and FEU would then ensue for the fourth spot and a match with the Blue Eagles
This Sunday’s game will decide La Salle’s direction.
“We’ll just wait for the Sunday game, [NU vs. FEU rematch] and we’ll see where it takes us,” Abanilla concluded.
The Scores:
DLSU (72) – Teng 19, N. Torres 12, T. Torres 11, Vosotros 8, Van Opstal 5, Andrada 5, Webb 4, Mendoza 4, Revilla 4, Manguera 0
AdU (59) – Cabrera 17, Etrone 15, Rios 7, Cruz 6, Brondial 6, Monteclaro 4, Camson 4, Trollano 0, Petilos 0, Olalia 0, Deans 0, Cabigas 0, Agustin 0
Quarterscores: 17-8, 27-21, 49-37, 72-59
More photos at our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151101679464760.451042.149678604759&type=1
