Lack of late-game composure continues to plague the DLSU Green Archers as they couldn’t close the NU Bulldogs from hitting key baskets down the stretch, allowing them to take an 81-73 win earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena. With the loss, La Salle drops to 5-6 while the Bulldogs move to within half a game of DLSU, at 5-7.
NU’s J-Jay Alejandro scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half to help the Bulldogs overcome a 13-0 DLSU run early in the second half. Jeron Teng led the Green Archers with 25 points and six rebounds, while Andrei Caracut finished with 18 points on four three-pointers.
![IMG_8078 []](http://thelasallian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IMG_8078-.jpg)
Teng nearly took on the entire NU squad on his own in the first quarter after scoring La Salle’s first seven points. Prince Rivero became the second Green Archer on the board after he scored with 47 seconds left in the first quarter, cutting the NU lead to three, 12-9. The quarter ended with NU on top, 14-10, after Alejandro made another basket for NU while Rivero split his free throws.
Three-pointers from Caracut and Lorenzo Navarro gave DLSU a 16-14 lead in the second quarter’s opening minutes but NU responded and took the lead once again off a Gelo Alolino three-pointer, 19-16, with 7:51 left in the first half. The Bulldogs would not lose the lead for the rest of the quarter, as they responded to La Salle’s baskets, eventually taking a 32-30 lead into the halftime break.
La Salle opened the second half with a 13-0 run that gave them a 43-32 lead with 6:36 left in the third quarter. NU went on a 12-0 run in the next three minutes, with Alfred Aroga’s free throw capping off the run that gave the Bulldogs a 44-43 lead. Both teams traded baskets late in the quarter but DLSU took a 53-49 lead entering the fourth quarter after Caracut made a basket and assisted on a Perkins three-point play.
With DLSU on the driver’s seat, Alejandro took over for the Bulldogs, tying the game at 55 with 8:12 left in the game and giving NU the lead, 57-55, after making two free throws. Thomas Torres completed a three-point play that handed the Green Archers the lead again but Alejandro would go on a solo 8-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 65-58 lead near the midway point of the fourth quarter. Teng made two baskets that cut the lead to three but a three-pointer from Jeoffrey Javillonar and a three-point play from Alejandro extended NU’s lead to nine, 71-62, with 3:18 left in the game. Teng, Torres, Perkins, and Caracut made baskets that cut the lead to two, 75-73, with 41 seconds left in the game but an Alfred Aroga three-point play and two crucial misses from Perkins sealed La Salle’s fate.
La Salle lost the battle of the boards, 48-37, but they hauled in 14 offensive rebounds compared to NU’s 13. DLSU also took care of the ball, committing only eight turnovers to the Bulldogs’ 13. The Green Archers struggled to convert their field goals, making only 37 percent of their shot attempts. NU made more than half of their two-point field goal attempts and they had 15 assists to DLSU’s 12.
The Green Archers will have a week and a half to recover and regroup before taking on their archrivals, the Ateneo Blue Eagles, whom they will face on Sunday, November 8, at 4 pm in the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The scores:
NU 81 – Alejandro 25, Javelona 14, Aroga 7, Alolino 7, Javillonar 7, Neypes 7, Salim 6, Abatayo 4, Diputado 2, Morido 2
DLSU 73 – Teng 25, Caracut 18, Perkins 10, Torres 8, Rivero 5, Torralba 4, Navarro 3, Tratter 0, Langston 0, Muyang 0
Quarter scores: 14-10, 32-30, 49-53, 81-73
