In a battle between two teams in the thick of the race for the last Final Four slot, Jayjay Alejandro and the NU Bulldogs rallied down the stretch to take down the struggling DLSU Green Archers, 81-73, earlier today at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Alejandro spearheaded NU’s rally and scored 17 of his career-best 25 points in the fourth quarter. “Right place at the right time lang,” shared Alejandro after the game. NU head coach Eric Altamirano added, “Jay talaga, every time he contributes like that, it makes things easier.”
Pao Javelona aided Alejandro and he finished with 14 points, while four other Bulldogs scored seven points apiece. Alfred Aroga had just seven points, but also had 11 rebounds and five assists. Gelo Alolino also played a well-rounded game and finished with seven points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
IN PHOTOS: Alejandro leads NU past La Salle, endangers Green Archers’ final four bid
All 10 NU players fielded in by head coach Eric Altamirano scored at least two points. The Bulldogs exerted their dominance inside as they out-rebounded their rivals, 48-37, and scored 38 points inside the paint.
“I was very proud of the boys and how we responded, even though we started bad in the third quarter. I saw the resiliency of the boys,” said Altamirano after the game.
La Salle was led by Jeron Teng who scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds and rookie guard Andrei Caracut who finished with 18 points and four three pointers. Jason Perkins grabbed 15 rebounds and scored 10 points, but made just four of his 15 field goal attempts and missed two crucial shots under the basket in the last minute.
As a team, the Green Archers shot a lethargic 36 percent, but managed to take care of the ball as they had just eight turnovers compared to NU’s 16.
Though the Bulldogs led by two at halftime, 32-30, the Green Archers opened third quarter with a 13-0 run over the period’s first three minutes to take an 11 point lead. NU, however, clawed back with a 14-0 run of their own to take back the lead, but the Green Archers managed to end the third quarter on top with a 53-49 edge.
Both teams went back-and-forth to begin the fourth quarter, but Alejandro broke open the game with back-to-back three pointers midway through the period to give the Bulldogs a 65-58 lead that they would not relinquish.
La Salle came within two points, 75-73, with a little more than 40 seconds left to play, but the Green Archers failed to execute and the Bulldogs held on for their fifth victory of the season.
DLSU, on the other hand, fell to 5-6 in the standings and hold on to the last Final Four spot by just a half game. La Salle has now lost three of its last four games.
The Green Archers have the ADMU Blue Eagles, the UP Fighting Maroons, and the league-leading FEU Tamaraws left on their schedule while the NU Bulldogs will play the latter two. If both teams are tied for the last Final Four slot after the eliminations, a knockout playoff game will be played.
IN PHOTOS: Alejandro leads NU past La Salle, endangers Green Archers’ final four bid
