La Salle survives UST comeback, nips Tigers

De La Salle University regained its focus after a freak injury to team captain Simon Atkins as the Green Archers survived a furious University of Santo Tomas rally to beat the Tigers, 74-71, Thursday in the 74th UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum. The Green Archers ended the first round on a winning note with a 4-3 win-loss record to join Far Eastern U at third place. Norbert Torres had his breakout game of the season scoring 15 of his 21 points in the first half to go along with his eight rebounds and five blocks for the Green Archers, who built a sizeable first half lead. UST slipped to a 3-4 record for fifth place in the standings. La Salle, however, survived Atkins' absence and a Karim Abdul-led UST rally before finally sealing the win in the waning moments of the game. "We played La Salle basketball in the first half but in the second half, we were playing not to win but to protect the lead. UST played well in the fourth because of Karim Abdul but we are happy to get away with a win," said La Salle coach Dindo Pumaren. Atkins, the only remnant to the 2007 championship team, suffered head trauma in the third period after he was bumped by Abdul. De La Salle doctors, coaches and players rushed to his aid as Atkins slumped on the floor. He was rushed to the hospital after the game. "My players got scared because Simon was crying, he can't move and he didn't know where he was. I'm not making an excuse but the players lost their focus knowing that their teammate suffered that kind of injury," Pumaren said. The Taft-based cagers led by as much as 23 points in the second period for a 49-27 halftime lead but that advantage dwindled after the Green Archers only scored seven in the third and the lead was down by just 12 points, 56-42. Abdul scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth period as he led UST to trim the gap to one point, 72-71, with 14.9 seconds left. But Abdul fouled out after Oda Tampus grabbed a crucial rebound after missing two free throws. Tampus bounced back from his misses making two charities for a 74-71 lead with 11.5 ticks left in the game. Kevin Ferrer's game-tying three-point attempt didn't hit the rim. Atkins wasn't the only injured player in the game. UST's Jeric Fortuna didn't play in the last two minutes of the game after suffering from cramps while La Salle's Luigi Dela Paz had a swollen knee after a bump in the third period. DLSU's Sam Marata sustained a cut in the bridge of his nose but returned to the game. La Salle's Joshua Webb was absent in the game because of fever. Tampus had 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Maui Villanueva had 10 markers for the Archers. Abdul also grabbed 11 rebounds, Fortuna had 20 points and Jeric Teng scored 14 for the Tigers. - JVP, GMA News