UAAP: Teng saves the day as La Salle Green Archers shoot down Ateneo Blue Eagles anew

(Updated 6:35pm)  Jeron Teng made a difficult jump shot over the outstretched arms of Chris Newsome with 1.9 seconds left in the game to give the De La Salle University Green Archers a 66-64 win over the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles, and their first elimination round sweep of their foes since 2001, Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

@jobdeleon 2005 UAAP Season 68 pero forfeited lahat ng panalo ng DLSU that time so ang official 2001 pa Season 63

— Pong Ducanes (@ompongski) September 1, 2013

With the win, the Archers now hold the third slot with a 7-4 tally just behind 8-3 NU Bulldogs and 8-4 FEU Tamaraws. The Eagles on the other hand fall to 6-5, in a tie with UST for fourth place.

The Archers also snapped Ateneo's five-game win streak, while stretching their run to four straight triumphs.

[Review the play-by-play of this game here]

"We're not really looking at the top two," said DLSU head coach Gee Abanilla. "We're just looking to do well in our last games.

"If we make it good, if we don't then it is what it is."  

Off a timeout with 14 seconds left, Juno Sauler drew up an isolation play for Jeron Teng, who found himself defended by Chris Newsome. The reigning Rookie of the Year killed clock and then drove hard. Off a spin move, Teng hung in the air and got the shot to go, giving his team the win.

During the post-game press conference, Teng was quick to give credit though to another player, Almond Vosotros, saying the veteran guard "really carried the team."

Vosotros posted a game-high 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Jason Perkins assembled a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds, plus two assists and two blocks.

Teng finished with just eight points, but despite making only two field goals, his second was the most important conversion of the game.

Ryan Buenafe opened the game with a finger roll followed by a short baseline jumper from Kiefer Ravena for a 4-0 start for Ateneo. The Archers finally broke into the scoring column at the 8:02 mark, care of a Jeron Teng one-hander.

A layup from LA Revilla knotted the game at 6-all, which was followed by a basket from Norbert Torres to give the Archers their first taste of the lead. Two Revilla baskets sandwiched a jumper from Poy Erram for a 12-8 count in favor of DLSU.

Chris Newsome and Von Pessumal them combined to tie the ballgame at 12 with less than three minutes left in the first quarter. A triple from Nico Elorde was the difference for the Blue Eagles, as they carried a 16-13 leading heading into the second quarter.

Elorde, Newsome, and Pessumal started the second quarter with a 6-0 blast to make it 22-13 in favor of Ateneo. Jason Perkins replied with a three-point play to cut the lead down to six points but Juami Tiongson answered with a conventional triple, 25-16.

The Archers slowly crept back into the game while Ateneo's Buenafe and Erram were saddled with three fouls each. DLSU got to within four points at 25-21 after a Teng split from the line, but Elorde replied with his second triple of the game to stretch their lead to seven points.

Teng and Revilla joined the list of players with three fouls and Ravena converted on a free throw to give Ateneo a 33-24 lead. But free throws from Arnold Van Opstal and Perkins brought the lead down to five points.

Almond Vosotros then closed out the first half by banking in a three at the buzzer off a Ravena turnover, for a 33-31 count still in Ateneo's favor.

At the half, the Archers had 20 free throw attempts making 12 of these, while Ateneo shot the same percentage, going 6 of 10. Ravena uncharacteristically was the source of all Ateneo misses from the line.


Torres did not waste any time as he tied the game on La Salle's first possession of the third. Vosotros and Tiongson then exchanged triples for another deadlock at 36-all.

Ateneo went on an 8-2 run capped by a Frank Golla scoop shot at the 5:41 mark to give Ateneo a 44-38 lead.

After a timeout, Revilla responded with four straight points to cut the Ateneo lead down to just two points but Elorde replied with his third triple of the game for a 47-43 count in Ateneo's favor.

Vosotros and Newsome exchanged baskets late in the third quarter but was Matt Salem who ended the quarter with a jumper. The score was 49-46 for Ateneo heading into the final quarter.

Ravena connected with a booming triple to give Ateneo a 53-58 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Kib Montalbo and Vosotros made two straight jump shots to get to within a point. Vosotros then sank a triple followed by a fastbreak basket to build a 57-53 lead for La Salle with 5:29 left in the game.

Beunafe responded with an inside two but DLSU got a triple from Perkins and a free throw from Teng for a 61-55 count in their favor with 3:52 on the clock.

With the game winding down, Tiongson notched back-to-back hits in transition to get Ateneo within two, 61-59, 2:30 on the clock.

A no-call however got Blue Eagles coach Bo Perasol off his feet and charging at a referee, earning himself a technical foul. Almond Vosotros hit both technical charities, but on the bonus possession, Jason Perkins committed a charge, turning the ball over.

Ryan Buenafe nailed a clutch triple with 41 seconds on the clock, getting the defending champs within a point, then on the next La Salle possession, Jeron Teng could only split his freebies, keeping Ateneo alive.

Off a timeout, Kiefer Ravena drove and nailed a lay-up, 14 seconds left in the game, to forge a 64-all deadlock and set up the game's thrilling conclusion.

After the game, Abanilla added, "They [Ateneo] limited our offense and they forced us to play one on one. It's something we need to look and and review going forward."

The Archers were also without suspended point guard Thomas Torres.

[Related: 'I can't take that sitting down' says Ateneo coach Perasol about incident with hecklers]

Reports also said that there was a post-game confrontation between Ateneo's head coach and a La Salle fan, while the ADMU contingent was heading into the locker room.

Juami Tiongson led Ateneo with 14 points. Former Green Archer Nico Elorde had a huge impact off the bench with 13 markers, four rebounds, three assists and a steal versus only one turnover, but Kiefer Raena managed just 12 points, going 3-of-8 from the stripe. he also committed a team-high five errors.

The Archers made it a point to get to the foul line, where they got a 28-14 margin in free throws. ADMU made up for that somewhat with a 10-2 edge in turnover points, and a 9-4 margin in second-chance points.  - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

DLSU 66 - Vosotros 19, Perkins 13, Revilla 11, Teng 8, Torres 6, Van Opstal 4, Montalbo 3, Salem 2, Tapus 0, Reyes 0, Dela Paz 0, Bolick 0

ADMU 64 - Tiongson 14, Elorde 13, Ravena 12, Buenafe 9, Newsome , Pessumal 4, Golla 2, Erram 2, Tolentino 0, Enriquez 0, Capacio 0

Quarter scoring: 13-16, 31-33, 46-49, 66-64