With their Final Four hopes slowly slipping away after a 73-62 loss to the ADMU Blue Eagles, a visibly teary-eyed Jeron Teng huddled up the DLSU Green Archers following the game.
The Green Archers led by as much as 10 points in the second quarter, but were outscored by Ateneo in the third period by 14 points and were unable to recover from then on.
Teng, La Salle’s team captain, fouled out halfway through the fourth quarter and finished with just 11 points on five-of-13 shooting from the field. His presence was sorely missed down the stretch as the Green Archers struggled to buy a basket without their go-to guy.
Ateneo star Kiefer Ravena, who is on his last year of UAAP eligibility, revealed to the press that Teng spoke to him as players from both teams shook hands after the game. Ravena said that his rival promised that they would meet again in the UAAP–something that seemingly can only happen if both teams qualify for the finals.
After finishing the first round of UAAP Season 78 with a 4-3 record, the Green Archers have struggled. The loss to Ateneo was La Salle’s third consecutive and fourth over their last five games. They have won just one game in the second round–a close contest against the UE Red Warriors.
La Salle held a double digit lead in all four second round losses, a trend that has exposed the team’s inability to close out games, despite the top flight talent on the roster.
DLSU has now slid to fifth place with a 5-7 record and they trail the NU Bulldogs, who stand at 6-7, by half a game for the last semifinal berth.
La Salle has two games remaining, one against the UP Fighting Maroons on November 11 and another against the league-leading FEU Tamaraws on November 18. NU, on the other hand, will play the Tamaraws on November 14. If both teams end the elimination round with an identical record, a knockout game will be played to determine who will take the last semifinal ticket.
La Salle’s destiny is still in its hands as all the Green Archers have to do is win both of their remaining games to ensure at least a playoff for that last Final Four slot. This means that Teng has every opportunity to make good on his promise to battle Ravena once more on the UAAP hard court, and if his tears are any indication, it looks like the King Archer does not lack the motivation to do so.
STORY: Balanced attack propels Ateneo over slumping La Salle
Photo by Lance Go, The LaSallian
