La Salle trips UE for second win
Jeron Teng continues to prove he’s the real thing for La Salle.
Teng drilled in eight of his 16 points in the fourth period to help La Salle essay a 67-59 win over stubborn University of the East Thursday and seize the early lead in the UAAP Season 75 men’s basketball championship at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
A highly-touted rookie,
Fresh from a15-point output that enabled the Green Archers to hold off University of the Philippines 73-68 in their opener last Sunday, the 6-foot-3 Teng showcased his scoring prowess anew as the La Salle uncorked a blinding 10-to-nothing run to pull away from a dogged UE crew.
“We’re very happy with our record but it’s still long way to go,” noted La Salle coach Gee Abanilla. “Early in the season, we want to find out what works and what does not work. Ultimately, we want to get better as the season progresses.”
Reserve forward Jovet Mendoza and playmaker LA Revilla tallied 11 apiece for the Archers, who put the clamps down on the Warriors as they broke loose from a precarious 51-50 lead midway in the fourth.
Shifty guard Roi Sumang paced all scorers with 20 points and five rebounds while Adrian Santos had a double-double outing of 14 points and as many rebounds but those failed to stop the Red Warriors from dropping to the cellar with their second setback. UE absorbed a 55-90 shellacking from host National University in the opener last Saturday.
After Santos scored on an inside incursion at the 6:27 mark in the fourth, Revilla ignited the blinding surge with a triple, followed by a split from Luigi dela Paz, five straight points from Teng and a free throw by Norbert Torres for a 61-51 spread.
“Good thing, we survived this game,” added Abanilla, whose charges went 20-of-64 (40.6 percent) from the field against the Warriors’ 21-of-61 (34.4) output. “UE really played lose tonight. I think they played with a lot of confidence hitting those shots. They got scrappy.”
The Archers also drew a big 34-point contribution from their bench, led by Mendoza’s 11 followed by Thomas Torres’ seven, all in the first half, and five apiece from Arnold Van Opstal and Almond Vosotros.
The scores:
La Salle 67 – Teng, 16, Mendoza 11, Revilla 11, T. Torres 7, Van Opstal 5, Vosotros 5, Dela Paz 4, N. Torres 3, Andrada 2, Tampus 2, Manguera 1, Paredes 0, Gotladera 0, Webb 0.
UE 59 – Sumang 20, Santos 14, Javier 6, Olayon 5, Galanza 5, Villarias 3, Sumido 2, Razon 2, Mena 2, Belleze 0, Valdez 0, Hernandez 0, Flores 0, Duncil 0.
Quarterscores: 13-11, 29-22, 43-39, 67-59.
