DLSU's big third-quarter run keeps Ateneo winless
De La Salle University turned to two shock troopers in finally solving the perplexing riddle of archrival and five-time defending champion Ateneo.
Arnold Van Opstal and Luigi De la Paz shone the brightest off the bench in leading the Green Archers’ second-half turnaround and into a big 82-73 victory over the Blue Eagles on Sunday in the UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball action before a sizeable MOA Arena crowd.
Falling behind by as many as 14 points midway in the third canto, La Salle clawed its way back behind a suffocating full-court pressure coupled with a torrid offensive onslaught to complete the come-from-behind victory against an Ateneo crew sorely missing the services of star guard Kiefer Ravena.
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More than gaining a fitting follow-up to their 96-84 win over University of the Philippines last Wednesday, the Green Archers also stopped a six-game losing skid against the Blue Eagles since July 24, 2010 while sending their archrivals down to the cellar with a third straight setback alongside the Fighting Maroons.
Ateneo also moved a defeat away from matching its worst start since a team, then handled by Perry Ronquillo, dropped its first four initial games in 1997.
Athletic rookie Chris Newsome tried to fill up the slack, collecting all but nine of his game-high 27 points built around a perfect shooting inside the arc in the first half, but the Blue Eagles eventually crumbled in the face of the Green Archers’ strong push in the pivotal half.
The Main Man: No longer have to deal with former rivals Greg Slaughter, Nico Salva and Justine Chua at the paint, Van Opstal showed what he’s capable off.
Bristling with energy all game long, the 6-foot-7 center anchored the paint for the Green Archers, coming up with 18 big points and eight rebounds, five of them offensively.
Honorable Mention: Almost a forgotten Archer after sustaining a shoulder injury last year, Luigi Dela Paz proved that he can play like “Mario” in the stretch.
Hardly a factor in the first half, the former Junior Archer from DLS-Zobel racked up all of his 10 points in the pivotal half, highlighted by five straight markers that kept La Salle’s necks above waters in the stretch.
Game Turning Point: Staring at a big 34-48 deficit midway in the third, the Green Archers used a full-court pressure in igniting a blinding 25-8 onslaught, with Van Opstal and Almond Vosotros taking turns in delivering the goods.
The Green Archers continued to pour it on in the fourth and a free throw by Van Opstal shoved them to 74-66 before the Blue Eagles pulled within four off Ryan Buenafe’s two made charities with 2:02 left.
Then it was De la Paz’s turn to shine. Wide-open from the left corner, he got a timely feed from Jeron Teng and drilled in a trey that made it a seven-point game then sank a tough angled jumper that proved as the dagger, giving La Salle a 79-72 cushion with 58.6 seconds left.
They Said It:
La Salle coach Juno Sauler: “Luigi is a real fighter. He came off a (shoulder) injury last year. But he’s getting good rehabilitation that’s why he was able to get his form back. Just a great mental toughness on his part.”
Arnold Van Opstal: It’s my first time to beat Ateneo. Me and Norbert (Torres) came into the game saying ‘C’mon, this is our time.’ We came into the game with a lot of intensity and I was pretty focused. I really wanted it. Things just happened to work in my way. They've had their time, not it's ours.”
DLSU (82) - Vosotros 19, Van Opstal 18, Teng 13, De La Paz 10, Perkins 9, T. Torres 8, N. Torres 5, Reyes 0, Montalbo 0, Bolick 0.
ADMU (73) - Newsome 27, Tiongson 14, Buenafe 11, Pessumal 10, eEram 6, Elorde 3, Golla 2, Tolentino 0, Capacio 0, Babilonia 0.
Quarterscores: 16-20, 28-40, 59-56, 82-73
