Kristine Barreiro | FCF
After winning the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball crown and topping the Philippine Collegiate Champions League in 2013, De La Salle University added another piece of hardware in their trophy cabinet after capitalizing on a late game collapse by San Beda College to snatch the 2014 Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup, 71-66 in the all-or-nothing final showdown at The Arena in San Juan City.
Jeron Teng, who won the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award and was selected as part of the mythical team after guiding the Green Archers throughout the tournament, finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots.
Joining Teng in the mythical five are Centro Escolar University’s Rodrigue Ebondo, Southwestern University’s Landry Sanjo, and San Beda’s Arthur de la Cruz and Ola Adeogun, who also won the league’s best defensive player citation.
Jason Perkins, who was instrumental in their fourth quarter run by scoring nine points, also had 14 points with seven rebounds. Almond Vosotros nailed crucial free throws down the stretch as part of a team-high total of 18 points for the three-time Premier Cup titleholders.
“San Beda played very well today. They made it difficult for us [to win], especially [in] the first three quarters. We were lucky in the end that they just missed shots, then we scored [on] the offensive end so [the game] could have gone [either] way,” said Sauler.
“We gave up too many easy baskets. A total of 19 fastbreak, turnover, [and] second chance [points]. We just have to learn how to play through adversity.”
The Green Archers never tasted the lead until the final period on the strength of a 16-2 surge beginning late in the third quarter, combined with an anemic shooting clip from the Red Lions that heavily relied on guard Baser Amer to carry the scoring cudgels in the payoff period.
Amer, a product of the school’s vaunted juniors program, scored eight of the team’s 10 fourth quarter points on his way to 23 points and seven rebounds in the contest; while Arthur de la Cruz scored 14 and gathered 15 caroms for the four-time defending National Collegiate Athletic Association champions.
In the battle for third place, Centro Escolar University routed Cebu champion Southwestern University, 73-58, for the best finish of any non-UAAP or NCAA school in the tournament’s nine-year history.
