Archers deny Blue Eagles sweep, outright finals slot
Game on Saturday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4 p.m. – DLSU vs AdU (Final Four)
Last year, it was Ateneo that derailed then spotless La Salle from a possible sweep with a huge upset in the 13th game. Last night, the Green Archers returned the favor and put a wrench on the Blue Eagles’ quest for 14-0 at the very last game of eliminations.
Outfoxing the usually steady Ateneo in the clutch, the Taft-based cagers came away with a nerve-wracking 79-76 victory to even the score against their archrivals ahead of the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball playoffs.
The Archers refused to roll over after trailing by 12 points early in the fourth, leaning on the exploits of Ricci Rivero, Ben Mbala and Kib Montalbo towards the finish – plus a bit of luck in the form of Isaac Go’s miss on the potential go-ahead at point-blank range in the dying seconds – to turn the tables around and stain the Eagles’ perfect record this year.
“Big win,” said DLSU coach Aldin Ayo. “We got lucky in the end game with Isaac Go’s semi-hook; it was uncontested but didn’t go in. I had to commend the players for the effort, for sticking to the game plan, especially in the end game.”
Rivero punched in 12 markers in the payoff period in a 21-point performance that backed up Mbala’s 28 and season-high-tying six steals and six shot blocks. Rivero capped his heroics by picking the rebound on Go’s miss, drawing a foul, making the two freebies for a three-point cushion and blocking Anton Asistio’s triple attempt at the buzzer.
“We wanted it more than them. Nung lumayo sila, inisip namin kaya pa yan,” said Rivero, whose squad ended the elims No. 2 with 12-2.
Earlier, the team that once scored a historic 14-0 sweep just avoided getting the dubious reputation being a 0-14 squad as well.
With a highly embarrassing winless mark looming, University of Santo Tomas came out roaring and finally broke through, 88-85 over University of the East.
Playing with resolve and purpose, the Tigers started strong, recovered when the Warriors repeatedly made runs, and unlike the previous outings – at least those that were close – finished this one off to salvage a measure of pride at 1-13. The scores First Game UST 88 – Basibas 21, Akomo 18, Caunan 14, Lee 11, Garcia 10, de Guzman 6, Sta. Ana 4, Escalambre 2, Macasaet 2, Romero 0, Huang 0, Faundo 0.
UE 85 – Pasaol 18, Varilla 16, Maloles 15, Conner 10, Acuno 8, Cullar 7, Manalang 7, Bartolome 2, Olayon 2, Derige 0. Quarterscores: 23-15, 43-39, 63-61, 88-85 Second Game DLSU 79 – Mbala 28, R.Rivero 21, Tratter 8, Santillan 7, Melecio 6, Montalbo 6, Go 3, Baltazar 0, Caracut 0, Paraiso 0, P. Rivero 0.
AdMU 76 – Ravena 15, Go 13, Ma. Nieto 12, Verano 9, Mendoza 7, Asistio 6, Tolentino 6, Ikeh 4, Porter 3, Mi. Nieto 1, Black 0, Mamuyac 0.
Quarterscores: 17-22, 37-35, 54-63, 79-76