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DLSU makes a huge statement in Game Two

In the postmatch press scrum a reporter asked DLSU's coach Juno Sauler if he thought his club asserted itself in the paint. Sauler's terse three-word answer said it all.

Wasn't it obvious?”

DLSU squared the series on Saturday with an emphatic 77-70 victory that reaffirms their standing as the higher-seed in this matchup. UST's Game One triumph looks more and more like an aberration after this second showdown.

It appears that DLSU's game is built on a firmer foundation than their opponents. The Archers used the broad and muscular shoulders of their inside trio, Arnold Van Opstal, Norbert Torres, and Jason Perkins as a launchpad for success.

La Salle outrebounded Sto. Thomas 57 to 39, and led in offensive rebounding as well, 27 to 10. That pretty much sums up the game; everything flows from there.

DLSU trumped UST on the second chance points ledger as well, 18 to 7. It's a pity that there's no official “points in the paint” stat. DLSU would have certainly come out on top.

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La Salle's brand of old-school meat-and-potatoes interior ball bedeviled UST. Pido Jarencio saw his bigs like Karim Abdul and Kevin Ferrer run into foul trouble early, which hamstrung UST in the second half.

UST even tried bringing on Paolo Pe and Abdul at the same time in a vain attempt to stanch the hemorraghing from within. It didn't work.

Norbert Torres was good for sixteen points and ten boards, Perkins seven points and six rebounds, while Van Opstal picked up fourteen rebounds and thirteen points. The league's official Most Improved Player unleashed a polished baby hook shot as well, that connected on three occasions.

But what also doomed the Tigers was the inability to strike consistently from the perimeter. While Jeric Teng nailed three of his eight attempts from beyond the arc, the rest of the team sprayed badly, going two of fifteen.

Sauler admitted that it was by design that his team locked down the perimeter.

We tried to take away the three pointers. That's what killed us in the first game.”

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The only reason why UST was not blown out in this game was the heroic performance of Jeric Teng, the only UST scorer who had a pulse throughout the entire forty minutes. His 28 points, off a variety of moves from short stabs, treys, and improvisational slashes, served to boost his PBA draft stock as his final collegiate game looms a week from now.

In fact at one point the Tengs were engaged in an internecine game of tit-for-tat that seemed to resemble one of their childhood sandlot one-on-ones, plus eight imaginary friends. Jeric finished the first half with fifteen points, Jeron, twelve.

Perhaps the neatest moment between the Tengs came with 3:20 to go in the second quarter, when Jeric waltzed in from the left flank only to be greeted by a hard foul from his younger brother.

Jarencio will have to go back to the drawing board if his side is to rescue this series. Abdul must rediscover the aggressiveness that was lacking on Saturday on both ends. And the Tiger snipers have to find their shooting touch.

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Shooter na sila dati pa” said the veteran coach of Clark Bautista, Aljon Mariano, and Kevin Ferrer, who mostly fired blanks all afternoon long. “Minsan pasok, minsan hindi. Pag championship, puro mental na yan.”

In three of the the last four finals clashes between these two programs, the Game One winner has failed to lift the trophy. Right now that trend could be continuing in a week's time.

But the most absorbing subplot remains to be the sibling rivalry between Alvin Teng's brood.

Moments after the buzzer sounded, Jeric Teng ambled over to his younger brother and gave him a good-natured, congratulatory pat on the head.

Jeron, who wound up with a team-high nineteen points, grinned at his kuya and flashed a three fingered salute.

Game Three is happening. And when the dust settles, only one Teng will emerge a champion. Right now, it's Advantage Jeron.

Follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.