FilOil: Perkins’ endgame heroics lift DLSU past UPHSD

The DLSU Green Archers survived a furious late rally by the UPHSD Altas, 81-79, to book a ticket to the FilOil preseason cup semifinals. Jason Perkins’ endgame heroics lifted La Salle as he scored a clutch basket with only 0.6 seconds left in the game.

Jeron Teng led the DLSU squad with a team-high 19 points and five rebounds. Thomas Torres also had a solid outing as he finished with 18 points in a winning effort.

Meanwhile, UPHSD’s Bright Akhuetie notched a game-high 25 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks, leading the way for the Altas in the loss.

The opening quarter started slow with both teams remaining scoreless a minute into the game. Both the Green Archers and the Altas struggled to find their shooting rhythm early in the match, as consecutive missed shots plagued the initial moments of the period. UPHSD was able to break the silence first though, posting four straight points to fill in the scoreboard. The Green Archers were quick to answer with conversions of their own in this rally. However, the inside presence of Akhuetie and Perpetual Help’s outside shooting became a problem for La Salle as they trailed for the majority of the first period.

A three-pointer from Perkins with 1:46 left in the first quarter finally shifted the lead to DLSU at 17-16, an advantage that La Salle would hold on to for good. The opening period eventually ended with a 21-16 lead in favor of the Green Archers.

The La Salle team showed more composure in the second period, scoring off various opportunities on the court. UPHSD employed a grittier defense against the Green Archers’ Teng and Torres, forcing back-to-back turnovers to keep the Altas at bay, 35-31, with 2:04 left in the first half. Efficient ball rotation proved to work in La Salle’s favor, as they slowly built up their lead to the conclude the half ahead by double-digits, 44-33.

It was a fast-paced exchange of shots from the teams at the start of the second half, both refusing to give an inch to each other. La Salle made a 5-0 run to stretch their lead to 14 points, 62-48. Two consecutive baskets from Akhuetie ended the third quarter with a score of 67-60, in favor of DLSU.

Early in the last quarter, an 11-2 run from the combined efforts of Prince Eze and Gabriel Dagangon tied the score at 76. La Salle grabbed the lead once again with Teng and Perkins making their free throws, but the score was tied for a second time by a three-point shot from UPHSD, 79-79. With less than a second left on the clock, Perkins scored the winning shot from the inside, sealing the game at 81-79.

The Green Archers came away with a total of 50 rebounds and 20 assists, as opposed to UPHSD’s 44 and 14. However, the Altas were able to deliver six blocks and three steals whereas DLSU had none.

With this victory, the Green Archers advance to the semifinals where they will meet the FEU Tamaraws. Their match will be held on Friday, June 12, at 3pm in the San Juan Arena.

Box Scores:

DLSU (81) – Teng 19, Torres 18, Tratter 14, Caracut 12, Perkins 11, Torralba 5, Gob 2, Go 0, Sargent 0.

UPHSD (79) – Akhuetie 25, Dagangon 23, Ylagan 10, Elorpe 8, Eze 8, Sadiwa 4, Dizon 1, Oliviera 0, Gallardo 0, Coronel 0, Pido 0, Bantayan 0, Cabiltes 0.