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Vosotros nails game-winner as DLSU survives in OT

Thanks to Almond Vosotros, La Salle finally came up on top in overtime after three tries.

The diminutive guard got a desperation sideline jumper to drop in with 1.8 seconds left as the Green Archers escaped with a thrilling 70-69 victory against the Adamson Falcons Wednesday afternoon to start their second round campaign on a high note in the UAAP Season 76 men’s cage action at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

With DLSU trailing 68-69 with 14.1 seconds left, the 5-foot-10 Vosotros stood tallest among the Archers, picking up the ball after Arnold Van Opstal fumbled it and flipping up a floater along a crowded left baseline with the ball bouncing on the rim three times before going down.

The win was the fourth overall in eight starts and was its first in three overtime outings for La Salle, which dropped a 58-63 decision to University of Santo Tomas in the opener last June 29 and also absorbed another painful 79-83 setback against league-leading Far Eastern University last July 13.

Rodney Brondial had a monstrous outing of 19 points and 23 rebounds but the Falcons–who dropped a 70-67 decision in their initial meeting last July 24–absorbed their third straight setback and fifth overall in eight games.

The 6-foot-4 Brondial tied former league MVP Jervy Cruz of University of Santo Tomas and University of the East’s prized import Charles Mammie for the most number of rebounds in a single game since 2003.
 
The Main Man: Who else but Almond Vosotros?

With starting playmaker Thomas Torres out with the flu, the fourth-year gunner dished out an a solid all-around outing of 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals in 41 minutes of action.

More importantly, Vosotros came through with the game-winning floater at the left baseline going to the final 1.8 seconds of play.
 
Honorable Mention: Although he was absent for most of the game, Norbert Torres helped the cause of Green Archers in overtime.

The 6-foot-6 center only had eight points but three of those came in the final minute, including a gutsy lay-up, on top of seven rebounds and a lone assist against four turnovers in 23 minutes.
 
Game Turning Point: After a Roider Cabrera triple put Adamson ahead 69-66 inside the final minute, Norbert Torres pulled La Salle within one with a big lay-up with 36.9 seconds.

In the ensuing play, Ryan Monteclaro committed a costly turnover, throwing a wild kickout pass to nobody, allowing La Salle coach Juno Sauler sued for time with 14.1 ticks to go.

Then it was Vosotros’ time to shine. Getting the leather off a Norbert Torres miss, the heady guard soared for an initial shot but got distracted by Adamson’s defense, forcing him to drop the leather to Arnold Van Opstal.

Van Opstal, however, failed to get better control of the ball, which bounced back into the hands of Vosotros, who readily uncorked the game-clinching floater.

The Falcons still had the chance with 1.8 seconds left but–off a timeout–made a poor inbounds play, leaving Jericho Cruz throwing a wild triple that went way short.
 
They Said It:
 
La Salle coach Juno Sauler: “It’s good for the team. Now they know they can close out games. I hope we can build on this one and let everyone knows that even in close games we can pull something off.”
 
La Salle guard Almond Vosotros: “Lucky shot na lang. Siguro, talagang lucky shot.”
 
The scores:
La Salle (70) – Vosotros 19, Van Opstal 13, Teng 9, N. Torres 8, Perkins 6, Revilla 5, Tampus 4, Salem 3, Montalbo 3, Reyes 0.

Adamson (69) – Brondial 19, Cruz 15, Cabrera 11, Trollano 9, Petilos 6, Monteclaro 5, Sewa 2, Julkipli 1, Agustin 1, Rios 0, Ochea 0, Cabigas 0, Bernabe 0, Abrigo 0.