UAAP: Green Archers rally to tame Tigers in OT

The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers scored a pulsating 90-86 overtime win against the hard-luck University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers’ in the first game of a UAAP double header before a full-house crowd at the Araneta Coliseum. DLSU rebounded from back-to-back defeats at the hands of the red-hot University of the East (UE) Red Warriors and against archrival Ateneo Blue Eagles. The backcourt combo of TY Tang and JV Casio wrought havoc against UST's interior and inside defenses as they combined for 37 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. The two were named best players for the game. Center-forward Paul Rico Maierhofer did not contribute much to the Archers’ cause as he had to sit on the bench for most of the game due to foul trouble. UST, meanwhile, was led by Jervee Cruz who scored a game-high 24 points and 18 rebounds. La Salle’s victory gave them their fourth victory in six outings, good for solo third in the men’s basketball standings. DLSU’s win against the Tigers’ was also important for head coach Franz Pumaren as he avoided suffering from a third consecutive loss as bench tactician for the Taft-based squad since taking over the team in 1998. For UST, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow as they lost a game they led by 16 points midway through the second quarter. The loss was also their 15th consecutive setback against the Archers since losing Game 2 of the 1999 UAAP Finals. The game was tied at 77-all with under 20 seconds remaining when UST guard-forward Mark Canlas scored on a put-back after a missed shot from one of his teammates, to give his team a two-point lead, 79-77, with under five seconds left. Pumaren immediately called a time-out where he set-up a play for Casio. The 6’2" guard did not disappoint his coach and the thousands of DLSU alumni and students who trooped to the Big Dome, when he snaked his way through the lane against four UST defenders to tie the game with a lay-up at 79-all with 2.9 seconds left. UST Coach Pido Jarenico immediately called his last time out in an attempt to win the game outright in regulation, but the desperate three-point shot by point guard Japs Cuan hit the side of the board, forcing overtime. The Tigers’ jumped ahead against the Archers early in overtime as Mark Canlas and Dylan Ababou scored on a jump shot and a free throw, respectively to give their team a three-point cushion at 82-79, with three minutes left. But La Salle got a huge break after Cuan fouled out a few seconds later. Without a dependable point guard to direct their offense, UST suffered numerous turnovers and missed outside shots. La Salle took advantage of this as they unleashed a 10-1 run courtesy of baskets coming from Kish Co, Casio and Tan, giving their team a comfortable 89-83 advantaged, which sealed UST’s doom. UST tried to make a run with still under a minute left but they run out of time, eventually losing the game at 90-86. The Tiger’s slid at fourth place in the men’s standings with an even 3-3 card. La Salle led early in the game at 5-2. But UST, with their guards running rings around De La Salle’s defense, quickly turned things around in the latter part of the first quarter and early goings of the second period to take a big 36-20 advantage, forcing Pumaren to call a time-out. After the time-out, DLSU had a mild run to cut UST’s lead to a manageable 10 points at 38-28. UST led in the first half due to better shooting, 17 out 37 attempts from the field compared to the 11 out of 33 shooting from DLSU. UST also lorded over the boards with 27 rebounds (10 on the offensive) as against the 17 of the Green Archers. UST, however, has more turn-overs with eight compared to DLSU’s five. Ababou led the Tigers’ in scoring 10 points followed by Cruz with nine markers and Mirza with 6. La Salle, meanwhile, was led by PJ Walsham who had eight points. After back-to-back losses against UE and Ateneo, DLSU had a major statement to make going into the game as the players, including Pumaren, shaved their heads to signify they are serious in snapping a two-game slump. DLSU did not disappoint their horde of fans who trooped to the Big Dome as they won over the Tigers after being down big early in the first half. Quarterscores: 14-10, 38-28, 62-60, 79-79 (end of fourth); 90-86 (overtime)