MANILA, Philippines - To the final buzzer – nay, two final buzzers – it was the La Salle’s Green Archers’ destiny to shine or fade in the season.
When they finally sealed it in extra period, it put the finishing touches to an incredible journey that saw the team ranked as one of the rest at the start, pick up pace in the second round and end up the very best with a 71-69 victory over the UST Tigers before an overflow crowd of 23,396 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Archers completed a comeback from a 0-1 deficit in the title series – reminiscent of their 1999 conquest versus the same university – to capture the crown they last won in 2007.
It was Almond Vosotros’ turn to provide the heroics in the fateful overtime period. Given a new lease on life, the Archers, propelled by the 25-point effort of Jeron Teng, seized the lead for good on Vosotros’ crucial jumper that proved to be the game winner.
UST had one last shot but Karim Adbul’s jumper missed its mark and La Salle escaped with the win.
But for three-fourths of the way, the Tigers were in command, leading by 15 points in the third quarter, only to squander it at the end of the period.
They also blew a game-winning play in the last six seconds in regulation as Aljon Mariano misfired with a jumper and later committed a crucial passing error in the last 26.7 seconds of the extension, giving La Salle the decisive possession which Vosotros converted for the winning basket.
“It’s been a season of constant improvement,†said Archers coach Juno Sauler, his white shirt stained by red-colored energy drink his wards showered him with.
“That’s what we tried to harp on this year. And even for next year, that’s what we’ll focus on. We’ll try to improve and be better than what we were this year,†added Sauler, whose team had won all but one of their last 12 games, including the last two matches of the series.
It wasn’t an easy victory, though, as the Archers had to dig deep into their reservoir of willpower in etching out a hard-earned come-from-behind win before the record crowd.
The Tigers seized a 40-25 lead at the halfway point of the third and even led by five, 61-56, heading into the final 4:00 of regulation. But with eventual Finals MVP Jeron Teng spearheading the charge, the Archers willed themselves back into the game and forced the extra period.
“Well, everyone just wanted to fight it out. I know the team was down and some players had cramps but they just wanted to fight it out to the very end. They showed great fight in them,†said Sauler, who equaled UST counterpart Pido Jarencio’s 2006 feat of winning the title on his maiden season.
The Tigers got their second straight bridesmaid finish.
Jeron added eight rebounds and six assists to his 25 points as he led DLSU to the title, spoiling the title ambitions of his brother Jeric over at UST. Jeric capped his collegiate career without a crown.
“When the buzzer sounded, I didn’t really know what to feel. Some part of me wanted to celebrate because we’re champions but I also felt the loss of my brother,†said Jeron, who gave his elder brother a big hug and raised his arm afterwards.
“I just said he tried his best talaga, he gave all his heart and he has nothing to worry because he has a good future ahead of him,†added Jeron.
Abdul banged in 26 points and eight rebounds while Jeric Teng shot 24 for UST, the first No. 4 seed to reach the finals.
“Breaks of the game ang nangyari (went against us),†said UST assistant Estong Ballesteros. “Very emotional kami kasi andun na kumbaga, andun na sa kamay namin ang tagumpay, pinakawalan pa namin (It was painful for us because we felt it was already in our hands and we let it slip away).â€
The scores:
DLSU 71 – Teng 25, Vosotros 16, Perkins 13, Van Opstal 11, T. Torres 4, N. Torres 1, Revilla 1, Tampus 0, Salem 0.
UST 69 – Abdul 26, Teng 24, Ferrer 7, Bautista 4, Mariano 3, Sheriff 2, Lao 0, Pe 1.
Quarterscores: 16-18, 24-32, 47-48, 65-65, 71-69