Luigi Dela Paz began the second quarter with a jumper from the left wing that swished through the net. This was followed by two triples from Almond Vosotros, and another basket by Norbert Torres, which allowed the Green Archers to wrest the lead from their arch-rivals.
But on the other end, Kiefer Ravena posted on La Salle’s Robert Bolick, then turned around and hung in the air before hoisting a jumpshot.
And after an empty La Salle possession, the leather found itself in once more in Ravena’s hands, and he backed down on Bolick and popped another jumper over his outstretched hands, with the same result.
The payoff period saw a ferocious fightback from the Archers, as Jeron Teng finally came alive after struggling early on.
The seemingly insurmountable Ateneo lead was eventually whittled down to six. Ravena then promptly canned two charities, then backed down on a smaller Thomas Torres for a couple of jumpers to douse the spirited La Salle rally.
Despite several attempts to overhaul a huge deficit, the Green Archers ultimately succumbed to the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 78-70, earlier today in the Fil-Oil Flying V Preseason Cup.
The game marked the end of the elimination round for both squads, with La Salle finishing third in Group B behind Ateneo and UE at 6-2, with the Warriors toting an identical record but owning a tiebreaker for their victory against La Salle last week.
After the game, Ateneo announced their withdrawal from the tournament citing injuries to several of their players.
Ravena, who averages a league-best 20.4 points a contest, led the Blue Eagles with 31 points, with Tiongson and Frank Golla chipping in 15 and 12 markers, respectively.
Jason Perkins paced the Archers in netting 15 points along with 14 rebounds and a rejection.
Teng, despite shooting a measly 35 percent from the field (6-for-17) , added 14 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, with Vosotros also finishing with 14 points along with three rebounds and two steals.
Overall, the Eagles shot 49% from the field, while the Archers only made 25 of their 72 shot attempts for a 35% shooting clip as a team.
The Archers managed to narrowly win the battle of the boards, 44-43, but the Eagles held a ten-assist edge against La Salle.After briefly claiming the lead from their rivals early in the second canto, the Eagles uncorked a 10-nil run to carry a nine-point lead into the break. This advantage, however, swelled to 20 halfway through the third, as Ateneo unleashed another 13-2 run in the quarter.
The Green Archers, however, manage to come to within six, 67-61, late in the quarter, but Ravena scored six straight to pad Ateneo’s lead. Teng and Thomas Torres would score baskets to bring the green shirts to six, but their last possession resulted in a turnover, and Ravena laid the ball to the cup to peg the final count.
The Next Game:
The Fil-Oil Quarterfinals will start on Monday, June 3, and Wednesday, June 5, with the Green Archers set to play against the San Beda Red Lions (number three ranked from Group A) this Wednesday.
The Scores:
Ateneo-78- Ravena-31, Tiongson-15, Golla-12, Asistio-6, Tolentino-5, Newsome-4, Elorde-3, Buenafe-2, Murphy-0, Lim-0
La Salle-70- Perkins-15, Vosotros-14, Teng-14, T. Torres-9, Van Opstal-9, N. Torres-7, Dela Paz-2, Bolick-0, Reyes-0, Tampus-0, Salem-0
Quarterscores: 24-15, 42-33, 63-51, 78-70
