Archers spoil Eagles' return, make quarters

MANILA, Philippines - La Salle leaned on Jeron Teng and its gutsy crew as it spoiled Ateneo’s return, pulling off a thrilling 62-59 overtime victory last night to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Hanes Cup before a big crowd at the Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Teng hit a triple with 5.6 seconds left to force overtime at 53 then combined with Jed Manguera with a pair of splits at endgame to seal the victory, their fifth against three defeats for the No. 3 spot in Group A.

Ateneo, coming off a training stint in the US but playing without Greg Slaughter, closed out with a 6-2 card.

The Eagles trailed majority of the way but surged ahead at 53-50 only to watch Teng bury that triple to extend the match.

The Archers outscored the Eagles, 6-1, in overtime to seal the win.

”I am happy with the win. My boys showed heart and character at the stretch. But without Slaughter this is too different a ball game,” said La Salle coach Gee Abanilla.

The 6-10 Slaughter failed to see action with a sprained left ankle.

Teng scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth and the extra period while Norbert Torres added 13 points and 19 rebounds.

Earlier, San Beda showed its readiness for the championship, booting out Letran, 76-56, yesterday and sweeping Group A.

The Red Lions hardly showed the effects of a long trip from the US, where they honed up for their annual pre-season buildup, pulling away in the second half behind a crippling 14-2 run en route to the lopsided victory, their eighth straight.

Santo Tomas U upended University of the Philippines, 77-70, in another fight-marred game, to reach the next round with a 5-3 mark.