Winning has never been easy for the DLSU Green Archers this season in the UAAP. From blowing big leads to earning tough victories, La Salle has grown and matured into the championship contender both the Lasallian community and the rest of the UAAP have envisioned them to be.
With their 71-68 victory over a tough FEU squad that refused to go down without a fight, the Green Archers showed that heart, composure, and defense are what earned them a spot in the finals.
“There was one stretch where I think they were up by nine and I called a time out and I just told the players to focus on what we’re good at,” a composed head coach Juno Sauler said after the game.”
Playing from behind for most of the game, the Green Archers relied on Jeron Teng, Norbert Torres, and LA Revilla who scored 15 points apiece to punch their ticket to the finals for the first time since 2008.
The sophomore Teng also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out six assists to complete his all-around game. Revilla added eight assists, two steals, and hit the crucial baskets to keep the Green Archers in the game. Torres added seven rebounds and anchored the defense that kept the Tamaraws at bay in the end.
FEU’s RR Garcia took the first basket of the game only six seconds into the game. Almond Vosotros quickly answered with a three to open the game for the Green Archers, who held the lead until Garcia countered with his own triple. The rest of the first quarter saw a back and forth rally between the two teams with FEU coming out on top to close the first quarter at 21-18 thanks to a Carl Bryan Cruz lay-in at the buzzer.
The Tamaraws continued to push their lead in the second quarter, exchanging baskets with the Green Archers. Torres had 7 to lead the Green Archers in the first half, while Cruz led the Tamaraws in scoring with12 points to up their lead to 7, 38-31.
The Green Archers still trailed in the first few minutes of the third, with FEU leading by as much as 11 points, but a 9-3 run spearheaded by a Revilla triple not only fired up the team, but the crowd as well. Despite making only six out of 13 free throws, the team managed to pull together and continued to make runs, cutting the lead to four to end the quarter at 52-56.
In the final quarter, FEU stretched their lead to 59-52 before a 7-0 DLSU run, capped by a hook shot from Arnold van Opstal, finally tied the score at 59 with 6:37 remaining. The Tamaraws and Green Archers traded baskets, eventually raising the score to 63 apiece. A runner by Torres from the corner to beat the shot clock gave DLSU its first lead since the first quarter with 4:03 left in the game.
This was shortly-lived, as FEU regained the lead with a three from Roger Pogoy. Teng scored the next three points on a bank shot and a free throw before being hit on the head by Mike Tolomia, who was called for an unsportsmanlike foul. He made one of two free throws, giving La Salle a 69-66 lead. With the shot-clock turned off, Garcia missed a three, forcing FEU to foul Revilla who split his free throws with 13.1 seconds.
On the ensuing possession FEU missed another three, but retained possession. Romeo took advantage by making a shot from the paint, his only points in the quarter. Perkins was fouled and he too split his free throws to make it a three point lead, 71-68. Out of timeouts, Romeo sent a prayer which did not hit the rim.
As a team, the Green Archers out-rebounded the Tamaraws by 12, 51-39, with Jason Perkins leading the team as he collected 11 rebounds. DLSU also had more free throw attempts at 35 compared to FEU’s 10, yet they missed 15 of them with van Opstal missing all five of his attempts at the line.
Up next for the Green Archers is a best-of-three showdown in the finals with the winner of Saturday’s matchup between UST and NU on Wednesday at 4 pm in the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
When asked about his team’s preparations for the finals, Sauler says, “Both teams are tough. It will be an exciting game in their knockout. We just have to prepare for whoever wins… Priority is I want myself to improve, I want players to improve, I want the team to improve.”
The Scores:
DLSU 71 – N. Torres 15, Teng 15, Revilla 15, T. Torres 8, Perkins 8, van Opstal 6, Vosotros 5, Montalbo 3, Tampus 0, Salem 0 , Dela Paz 0
FEU 68 – Cruz 16, Romeo 14, Garcia 10, Mendoza 8, Pogoy 6, Belo 5, Hargrove 4, Tolomia 3, Jose 2, Inigo 0, Sentcheu 0
Quarterscores:
18-21, 31-38, 52-56, 71-68
