UAAP: Green Archers suffer third consecutive loss to Ateneo, fall to 5-7

The DLSU Green Archers continued to be plagued by second-half execution after falling to the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 73-62, earlier today at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Sophomore forward Prince Rivero led the way for La Salle with 16 points and nine rebounds as team captain Jeron Teng added 11 points despite fouling out with a little over three minutes remaining in the final canto. Von Pessumal led the attack for the Ateneo with 17 points as Kiefer Ravena added 15 of his own in the victory.

The Green Archers raced to an early 10-point lead as they dished out more assists than the Blue Eagles, 8-2, in the first half. The Blue-and-White bounced back as they outscored their archrivals, 23-9, in the third period to take the lead and the victory. La Salle was outplayed on both ends of the floor as they were also out rebounded, 48-34.

“They [Ateneo] played with a lot of energy,” Green Archers head coach Juno Sauler said after the game. “[Aaron] Black, [Adrian] Wong stepped up.”

Flawless start

Teng spearheaded the Green Archers in the early minutes of the first quarter as he looked to attack the Ateneo defense, trading baskets with Pessumal to open the game.

Offensively, DLSU looked sharp in the first quarter. Joshua Torralba found his shots from beyond the three-point line, converting two three-pointers in the quarter. In addition, Archer big men Jason Perkins and Larry Muyang were connecting on high-low paint opportunities.

Meanwhile, Ateneo was struggling to find their rhythm early in the game. Costly turnovers courtesy of Alfonzo Gotladera gave DLSU chances to convert in transition. Also, Arvin Tolentino committed an unsportsmanlike foul with almost three minutes remaining in the first quarter, giving La Salle two free throws plus possession. Rivero, on the other hand, provided the much needed strength in the post, hitting difficult shots off his teammates’ drop passes. The first quarter ended with the Green Archers sitting comfortably with a 23-13 lead.

In the second quarter, Ateneo made some necessary adjustments in their offensive sets. Pessumal quickly converted a three-point play off an Ikeh block to cut the lead to single digits.

Ateneo also started to make smarter decisions with Matthew Nieto and Ravena running the floor. Also, Adrian Wong made huge contributions with his effective perimeter shooting, finishing the game with 10 big points.

With less than four minutes before halftime, Ravena started creating shots for his teammates while picking his own spots on offense. Eventually, Ateneo found themselves within reach of DLSU at the end of the first half, 35-30.

Second half struggles

There was no looking back for the Blue Eagles as Wong and Pessumal held Teng to only two points in the second half prior to fouling out. Rivero led the attack for the Green and White, as Ateneo could not fully contain his moves under the basket. Aaron Black contributed 13 points and stunned the DLSU defense with his stellar play.

With the defeat, the Green Archers fall to fifth place sporting a 5-7 win loss record behind the NU Bulldogs, who are half a game ahead with a 6-7 record. The Blue Eagles, in contrast, improve to nine victories and four defeats, still in position to clinch the second seed along with a twice-to-beat advantage.

Up next for La Salle will be the sixth-seeded UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, November 11, at 4 pm in the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The Green Archers are looking to avenge their first round defeat to the Fighting Maroons, who were booted out of Final Four contention after their loss to NU earlier today.

“We need to shoot better and defend better,” Sauler said as the Green Archers cannot drop any of their remaining games if they want to make the Final Four.

The scores:

Ateneo 73 – Pessumal 17, Ravena 15, Black 13, Wong 10, Nieto 6, Gotladera 5, Ikeh 4, Go 2, Capacio 1, Babilonia 0, V. Tolentino 0, Cani 0, A. Tolentino 0

DLSU 62 – Rivero 16, Teng 11, Perkins 8, Torralba 8, Torres 6, Muyang 6, Caracut 5, Go 2, Langston 0, Navarro 0, Tratter 0

Quarterscores: 13-23, 30-35, 53-44, 73-62