Down by two points against the ADMU Blue Eagles with less than a minute left to play, the DLSU Green Archers desperately swung the ball around the perimeter looking for an open shot.
Jeron Teng was unable to find a clear lane to the basket and Jason Perkins was also denied an attempt from the top of the key so he swung the ball to an open Joshua Torralba in the left corner–right in front of La Salle’s bench.
Torralba caught the ball, rose up for a three, and drained it with 35 seconds left to play, giving La Salle a one point lead that they would not relinquish. Teng then calmly made two free throws with 10 seconds remaining, shrugging off what was otherwise a poor shooting performance from the line. Kiefer Ravena had a chance to send the game into overtime, but missed a three pointer which was contested by Teng before time expired. Torralba corralled the rebound off Ravena’s miss and was fouled then sealed the win with a free throw.
The Green Archers escaped with an 80-76 win in front of 17,728 people at the Mall of Asia Arena over their archrivals and forced a tie at third place in the standings. Both teams now sport 4-3 win-loss records at the end of the first round of UAAP Season 78.
IN PHOTOS: Joshua Torralba stuns Ateneo with late three, pushes La Salle to 80-76 win
Teng led La Salle with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists, but he made just six of his 13 free throw attempts throughout the game. Thomas Torres added 15 points, nine rebounds, and four assists while Jason Perkins broke out of his slump and scored 13 points, with nine coming from three pointers. Also playing a key role was sophomore Prince Rivero, who started today’s contest instead of usual starter Larry Muyang, and had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Offensive rebounds were a major factor in La Salle’s win as the Green Archers grabbed 15, scoring 14 points off them, compared to just seven offensive rebounds and six second chance points for Ateneo.
On ADMU’s side, star guard Ravena led all scorers with 19 points and he also had five rebounds and five assists. He scored 11 of his points in the first half, including a thunderous fast break dunk, and sparked Ateneo to a 15 point lead midway through the second canto. However, Ravena was shackled in the second half and finished the game shooting just seven of 24 from the field.
Rookie center Chibueze Ikeh continued his impressive string of games and scored 13 points and collected 13 rebounds off the bench. Veteran forward Gwyne Capacio added 10 points and played tough defense on Teng while starters Von Pessumal and Fonso Gotladera had eight points apiece, with the latter making all four of his field goal attempts.
Ateneo’s defense suffocated La Salle and forced several tough shot attempts, especially in the first half. The Green Archers shot just 38 percent from the field for the game compared to Ateneo’s clip of 45 percent. The Blue Eagles also played more fluidly on offense, racking up 22 assists–nine more than La Salle. Jerie Pingoy, the much-heralded rookie, led the Ateneo offense with eight assists.
Ateneo took command of the game in the first half as Ravena took charge while nine other teammates contributed in the scoring column. The Blue Eagles led by 12 at the end of the first quarter and were up by double digits for the entire second quarter, entering halftime with a 10 point lead. It seemed as if Ateneo was ready to run away with the win, but the Green Archers were resilient.
La Salle came roaring back after halftime, starting the third quarter with an 18-4 run that gave them a 54-50 lead midway through the period after Perkins hit a three pointer from the top of the key. Perkins was a key factor in the run as he pumped in eight points, highlighted by two three pointers.
The two teams then engaged in a back-and-forth battle down the stretch, with no team leading by more than five points for the rest of the game. Teng and Ravena, the leaders of their respective teams and two of the best players in the UAAP today, put their teams on their shoulders as they created for their teammates and scored on key possessions. The two also defended each other on most occasions late in the game. In this chapter of their rivalry, Teng came out victorious.
At the end of the first round, both teams are in the thick of the race for a Final Four seed, but still trail both FEU and UST while NU and UE are hot on their tails. La Salle and Ateneo return to action next weekend as the second round begins, with the official schedule of games for the second round yet to be released.
IN PHOTOS: Joshua Torralba stuns Ateneo with late three, pushes La Salle to 80-76 win
The scores:
DLSU 80: Teng 18, Torres 15, Perkins 13, Rivero 10, Torralba 9, Caracut 6, Tratter 4, Navarro 3, Muyang 2, Sargent 0
ADMU 76: Ravena 19, Ikeh 13, Capacio 10, Gotladera 8, Pessumal 8, Tolentino 7, Pingoy 6, Babilonia 2, Apacible 2, Nieto 1, Cani 0
Quarter scores: 13-25, 36-46, 61-61, 80-76
