UAAP: Green Archers stumble to UST in second round opener

The DLSU Green Archers opened the second round of the UAAP Season 78 Men’s Basketball tournament with an 81-79 loss to the UST Growling Tigers earlier today at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Jeron Teng led the way for the Green Archers with 16 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Sophomore forward Prince Rivero finished with 13 points and seven rebounds on 67 percent field-goal shooting, while Josh Torralba and Thomas Torres added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

With the victory, the Growling Tigers increased their winning streak to four games and are currently tied with the FEU Tamaraws for first place with seven wins and one loss. On the other hand, the Green Archers now fall to four wins and four losses and are currently tied with archrivals Ateneo at third place.

UST’s Karim Abdul and Kevin Ferrer finished the game with double-doubles, as the former contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds, while the latter chipped in 17 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.

Both teams opened the game trading baskets with one another but DLSU took a slim 22-21 lead off a Teng buzzer beater to end the first quarter. The Green Archers managed to build a 10-point lead in the second period thanks to a Torralba three-pointer and entered halftime with an eight-point lead, 45-37.

The Taft-based squad continued to assert themselves in the third quarter behind the post presence and hustle of Abu Tratter despite UST trimming the deficit to as low as five points. The Growling Tigers opened the final period with a 14-2 scoring run behind Ferrer to take the lead with seven minutes remaining. The Green Archers remained scoreless during a six-minute span, with only a Torres three-pointer and a Teng full court heave accounting for La Salle’s points in the final half of the fourth quarter.

DLSU was limited to only 13 points in the fourth quarter and only managed to convert two of their nine three-point attempts in the end game to add to their offensive woes.  

Though the Green Archers outrebounded UST, 46-41, and had 14 assists to the Growling Tigers’ five, they committed 19 turnovers while UST had 16. Some of these turnovers came from UST’s defense, which had six steals at the end of the game.

Up next for the Green Archers will be the UE Red Warriors, whom they will face on Wednesday, October 14, at 2 pm in the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The Red Warriors are currently tied with the NU Bulldogs for fifth place with a record of three victories and five defeats.

The Scores:
UST 81: Abdul 18, Daquioag 17, Ferrer 15, Lee 13, Vigil 13, Sheriff 3, Bonleon 2, Lao 0, Subido 0, Faundo 0, Abdurasad 0, Caunan 0, Garrido 0

DLSU 79: Teng 16, Rivero 13, Torralba 12, Torres 11, Tratter 7, Perkins 6, Sargent 6, Navarro 5, Langston 3

Quarterscores: 21-22, 37-45, 59-66, 81-76

— Claro Manzano