So is there anyone who still has any doubts if Jeron Teng is ready for college basketball?
The rookie from Xavier School stepped up big in the clutch, scoring 17 points, including a cold-blooded three pointer in the closing seconds of regulation to force overtime as the Green Archers went on to defeat Ateneo 62-59 in overtime today.
Patience on offense and a good defense spelled the difference for La Salle in this game. The team exploited the absence of Ateneo’s Slaughter to outrebound the Blue Eagles on the offensive glass 21-8 and tally 12 more second chance points. They controlled the tempo almost all throughout and managed to keep their composure down the stretch in the despite an Ateneo comeback from 11 points down late in the fourth period.
LA Revilla had 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Norbert Torres added 13 points and 19 rebounds for the Green Archers. The Archers could actually have won the game in regulation but for faulty free throw shooting; the team shot a measly 43% from the foul line. Both Revilla and Torres played big during the extension period to seal the win.
Ryan Buenafe led the Blue Eagles with 21 points while Kiefer Ravena added 14. Ravena had a chance to force a second overtime but unlike Teng, he missed a long trey attempt under pressure at the buzzer. A key factor in the win was the success of Jed Manguera in defending Kiefer Ravena, who scored most of his points when Manguera was on the bench.
Ateneo slowly was able to chip away at the lead during the fourth quarter, and with Buenafe and Ravena providing the key baskets, the Blue Eagles managed to grab the lead in the final minutes, and were up by 3 points with only 17 seconds left in regulation.
With the game on the line, Teng, received a pass from Almond Vosotros in the left corner, faked off Ravena, then drained his 3-point shot to tie the count at 53-all with 5 seconds left to play in regulation and force overtime. The Archers took the initiative in the extension and never relinquished the lead as Ateneo failed to execute their plays.
After the game, Coach Gee Abanilla said that their poor free throw shooting is a cause for concern. “We missed at least 17 free throws and that almost cost us the game”, he said.
“I like the way he [Jeron Teng] has developed. He’s a team player now and is very approachable. Our game plan in the last seconds of the game was to shoot from beyond the arc. I told my boys to pass the ball to the first open man, and we were lucky since Jeron Teng was the open man at the time. He’s already scored several clutch shots in Xavier, and he did not look rattled as he took that 3-point shot”, said Coach Gee when asked about Jeron Teng’s end-game performance.
La Salle played without guards Mac Tallo and Luigi dela Paz due to suspension and injury respectively. Ateneo center Greg Slaughter was also injured and did not play in this game.
When asked if Slaughter’s absence was a factor, Coach Gee replied “Of course it was a major advantage. I think mas mahihirapan kami kung naglaro siya (Slaughter)”.
With the win, La Salle clinched the last playoff slot in the group, and will face San Sebastian in the cross-over quarterfinal stage on June 6.
Notes: Oda Tampus suffered a sprain early in the first period after scoring the game’s first two points. Nico Elorde, a former DLSZ standout and played one-year for the Green Archers in 2010 faced his former school for the first time after transferring to Ateneo last school year. He finished the game with 4 points. Other pairings in the quarterfinals are San Beda vs CSB, ADMU vs FEU and NU vs UST.
Box Scores:
DLSU 62 – Teng 17, Revilla 16, Torres N. 13, Andrada 5, Vosotros 4, Mendoza 2, Gotladera 2, Tampus 2, Manguera 1, Webb 0, Reyes G. 0, Torres T. 0
ADMU 59 – Buenafe 21, Ravena 14, Erram 6, Chua 6, Tiongson 4, Elorde 4, Salva 3, Gonzaga 1, Golla 0, Sumalinog 0, Porter 0, Pessumal 0, Capacio 0
Quarter Scores: 14-10;28-20;38-31;53-53;62-59