Animo! La Salle nips UST in overtime to bag UAAP crown
What started out as a troubled campaign ended in an unlikely championship for De La Salle University.
Diminutive guard Almond Vosotros drilled in the go-ahead basket with 19.7 seconds left then the Green Archers held their fort defensively in the crunch to outlast University of Santo Tomas in overtime 71-69 and claim the UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball throne before an electrifying Saturday crowd at the MOA Arena.
Making up for his two defensive breakdowns, the 5-foot-10 Vosotros proved why he is considered one of the league’s deadliest gunners, turning a timely feed from ace wingman Jeron Teng into a clutch jumper over the outstretched arms of UST defender Kevin Ferrer that enabled La Salle to take a one-point lead with under 20 ticks to go.
Two defensive stops in the waning seconds–sandwiching a split by guard LA Revilla–helped the Green Archers hang on, with center Arnold Van Opstal closing out on UST counterpart Karim Abdul who uncorked a desperate three that went way off the mark just as time expired.
The victory came off the heels of a masterful 77-70 victory in Game 2 last Saturday by the Green Archers, who clinched their eighth overall title but their first since 2007.
The 6-foot-2 Teng stood tall in La Salle’s big fightback from 15 points down in the second half where he scattered 19 of his team-high 25 points on top of eight rebounds and six assists, enough to be named as the Finals MVP.
Backstopping Teng was Vosotros who finished with 16 markers along with big men Jason Perkins and Van Opstal who teamed up for 24 points and 26 rebounds.
The Tigers, who won the opener 73-72 last Oct. 2, had the golden chance to win it in regulation but forward Aljon Mariano failed to make his jumper from the top of the key, forcing an extra five-minute session.
The 6-foot-6 Abdul led the Tigers with 26 points while Jeron’s older brother Jeric had 24 markers.
The Main Man: For Jeron, it’s all part of their job.
The 6-foot-2 La Salle wingman outshone his older brother Jeric and the rest of UST players during the Archers’ torrid run in the second half, barrelling his way to all but six of his team-high 25 points.
He also had eight rebounds and six assists, the last feeding teammate Almond Vosotros for the game’s biggest basket as the La Sallians among the record attendance of 23,396 whooped it up.
Honorable Mention: Almond Vosotros redeemed himself for a pair of defensive lapses when he nailed that big jumper, capping his 16-point, five-rebounds in style.
Also shining for the Archers was wide-bodied rookie Jason Perkins, who emerged as a force down low with 18 big rebounds on top of 13 points and two assists.
Game Turning Point: Down by one with the game on the line, Jeron Teng created the game’s biggest play, slashing his way to the basket before issuing a nifty pass to Almond Vosotros, who moved closer to the basket and canned in the big jumper that put them up for good with 19.7 seconds.
They Said It:
La Salle coach Juno Sauler: “It’s not about winning the game. More important than that is how we improve on a daily basis. Make sure every day in practice we keep on getting better and better and hopefully wherever it takes us, it’s something that we have to accept. We just have to do the same thing and be consistent about it. It all boiled down to every possession. We just have to slug it out and in the end it worked for us.”
La Salle forward Jeron Teng: “UST had a good game but we just didn’t to give up.”
La Salle guard Almond Vosotros: “Sobrang ang dami lang siguro na nagpe-pray na pumasok ‘yun (his last shot.”
The scores:
La Salle (71) – Teng 25, Vosotros 16, Perkins 13, Van Opstal 11, T. Torres 4, N. Torres 1, Revilla 1, Tampus 0, Salem 0.
UST (69) – Abdul 26, Teng 24, Ferrer 7, Bautista 4, Mariano 3, Sheriff 2, Lao 2, Pe 1.
Quarterscores: 16-18; 24-31; 47-48; 65-55; 71-69 (OT).
