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| Jeron Teng (R) came up big in the endgame to lead the Green Archers past the gritty Adamson Falcons. |
DLSU GREEN ARCHERS over AdU SOARING FALCONS, 56-52
Gang Green got mighty nervous deep in the fourth quarter as their Green Archers down by 3 with under three minutes to go.
Roider Cabrera’s baseline drive capped off a 9-2 Adamson spurt and put the Soaring Falcons, hurt by the season-ending injury of star forward Alex Nuyles, ahead, 52-49. This was an Adamson squad that defied already mediocre expectations. This was an Adamson squad that, despite making just two field goals in the entire third quarter, put themselves in a position to win the ballgame. This was an Adamson squad on the verge of upsetting a highly fancied DLSU quintet already reeling from a three-game slump.
All they had to do was play great defense and make enough shots to hold La Salle off.
On the other end of the floor, LA Revilla looked on, helpless at the sight of his teammates’ on-court struggles. Both Norbert Torres and Jeron Teng already had a dozen points at that point, but their woeful free throw shooting and turnover-prone play placed them in a dangerous position. Revilla’s absence clearly hobbled the Archers – they lacked the steadiness and savvy that he brought at both ends of the floor.
But they had to find a way to fight through the adversity, to survive, and to not waste away the promise of a 2-0 start with a frustrating fourth straight defeat.
They would find heroes in their two starting forwards.
Yutien Andrada was having an awful afternoon up till that point. He only had 2 points on 1-of-5 shooting to go along with 4 fouls. He was supposed to be the steady guy, La Salle’s Tayshaun Prince, but, instead, he seemed to be easily unsettled by the physicality the Falcons brought forth in bushels.
For his part, Teng wasn’t exactly having a rosy outing either. Despite already having a dozen markers, he turned the ball over thrice already, and was having a nightmarish time from the stripe (0-for-4 at that point).
Both guys would come up big in the clutch.
Andrada and Teng conspired in a game-ending 7-0 run that effectively sealed the deal for DLSU. Adamson left Andrada open underneath twice and simply couldn’t contain the headstrong Teng. Teng also, finally, hit a free throw to peg the count at the final whistle.
This game showed how precariously unstable La Salle’s play can be without the presence of Revilla (for most of the game). It was already shown in their close loss to frontrunners FEU, and it almost cost them this important bounce-back game. Reserve guards Mark Tallo and Thomas Torres had their moments, a combined output of 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists is nothing to scoff at, but Revilla is still much more than the sum of those parts. If he’ll be out for a significant amount of time, it’s not exactly difficult to see La Salle struggling in each outing.
For Adamson, this game gave them a glimpse of the post-Alex Nuyles era. Ryan Monteclaro had some Lester Alvarez-worthy moments, and he only had 1 turnover all game, but he’s hardly the facilitator big guys like Rodney Brondial and Eric Camson need to be effective. Case in point, both big men totaled a combined 13 points on 3-of-16 shooting from the floor. For a duo that norms about 23 points per game, that’s just unacceptable. Needless to say, Coach Leo Austria has his work of finding a new leader, a new playmaker, cut out for him.
In the end, both teams were hurting and hobbling in this game, and it really showed. Both really missed the services of their top playmakers, especially in crunch time, and it’s apparent that they’ll need new guys to step up in every game for success to come their way.
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| Jed Manguera got in Jericho Cruz's grill in a testy moment during the first half. |
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| Norbert Torres was a tower of power for the Archers, producing another great double-double line. |
Scores:
DLSU 56 – Teng 15, Torres N 12, Tallo 7, Andrada 6, Mendoza 5, Webb 4, Torres T 3, Manguera 3, Vosotros 1, Van Opstal 0, Revilla 0
AdU 52 – Monteclaro 12, Cabrera 8, Brondial 8, Rios 7, Cruz 7, Camson 5, Julkipli 2, Abrigo 2, Olalia 1, Trollano 0, Petilos 0, Etrone 0, Cabigas 0, Agustin 0
QS: 18-13, 30-32, 43-40, 56-52
Notable Performers:
Norbert Torres (DLSU) – 12pts, 13rebs, 3asts, 3blks, 1stl
Jeron Teng (DLSU) – 15pts, 10rebs, 1stl
Rodney Brondial (AdU) – 8pts, 12rebs, 3blks, 1ast, 1stl
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