The De La Salle Green Archers escaped a highly physical Lyceum Pirates,70 – 64, today to remain on top of the standings of the FilOil Flyin-V Preseason with a 4 – 0 slate.
Jeron Teng had 19 points, 13 of which came from the free throw line, along with four rebounds and a steal. Norbert Torres added 10 markers with 9 rebounds while Jason Perkins lacked only a point to barge in the double digit scorers list with 9 markers and 13 rebounds. The Green Archers converted 66 % of their free throw shots.
Dexter Zamora had 18 points for Lyceum with 6 rebounds and 6 assists while Tirso Lesmoras chipped in 15 along with 5 rebounds .
Despite leading for almost the entire game, La Salle struggled to score as their offensive momentum was constantly disrupted by Lyceum’s defense. A number of careless passes resulted to turnovers which the Pirates managed to take advantage of. Lyceum carried a scoring run and put La Salle into foul trouble near the end of the third quarter to cut the lead to one at 48 – 47.
However, Lyceum slowly succumbed into chaos in the fourth quarter after several of their players have been fouled out. Things got more physical in the final quarter when Gabby Reyes was given a hard push during a fast break, resulting in a heated confrontation between the two benches. Arnold Van Opstal, Rookies Matt Salem and Robert Bolick along with four Lyceum players were thrown out of the court after leaving their respective benches during confrontation.
“From the start it has always been physical so it’s a good lesson for us. Medyo na off kami ng konti. They have small guys who are quick so it’s a good thing it happened to us so we can learn from it.” , said Coach Gee Abanilla.
The victory however was costly as Yutien Andrada sustained a knee injury early in the first quarter. His status, according to Coach Gee, is still unknown and they will still need to consult with their physical therapist for an update.
Box Scores:
La Salle – Teng 19, Torres N. 10, Perkins 9, Torres T. 8, Reyes G. 7, Van Opstal 5, Tampus 4, Montalbo 2, Bolick 2, Paredes 2, Salem 2, De La Paz 0, Andrada 0.
Lyceum – Zamora 18, Lesmoras 15, Azores 7, Taladua 6, Edora 6, Alanes 6, Soliman 4, Francisco 2, Evangelista 0, Garcia 0, Lacastesantos 0, Ambohot 0.
Quarter Scores:13-7:31-26:48-47:70-64
