La Salle remains unbeaten after late escape vs. UE

Ben Mbala was a tower of strength anew for La Salle. GMA News

The De La Salle Green Archers are just one win away from sweeping the first round of the UAAP Season 79 men's basketball tournament after escaping University of the East, 84-78, on Wednesday.

Andrei Caracut led the Archers down the stretch, scoring all nine of his points in the fourth period, including a dagger triple in the final 61 seconds to keep the Red Warriors at bay. 

Prince Rivero also made key conversions, scoring six of his 11 points in the final 10 minutes.

La Salle improved to 6-0, while UE fell deeper into the cellar at 0-6.

The Archers were led by big men Ben Mbala and Justine Baltazar who scored 19 and 14 points, respectively. Jeron Teng had a quiet afternoon, tallying just seven points off a 3 of 10 shooting clip.

Alvin Pasaol recorded his career-high 22 points in the losing effort. Bonbon Batiller had 13, while Paul Varilla and Clark Derige chipped in eight each.

The Archers played the second half without head coach Aldin Ayo, who was ejected from the game after trying to give the referee a pair of glasses. An ejection means an automatic suspension, which means that the Archers will most likely play archrivals Ateneo without their head coach on Sunday. —JST, GMA News