THE ATENEO Blue Eagles looked to extend their five-game winning streak in their face off against archrival De La Salle University (DLSU) on Sunday, September 1, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Green Archers, however, escaped with a 66-64 victory after Jeron Teng hit the game-winning basket with 1.9 seconds left to play.
First blood was drawn by Ateneo through a fast break layup off a steal by Ryan Buenafe. Kiefer Ravena followed this up with a fade away jump shot giving Ateneo a four-point lead in the first two minutes of play. Teng answered back with a basket of his own, putting DLSU on the scoreboard. After Team Captain Juami Tiongson added two more for the Blue Eagles with a floater, DLSU responded with an 8-0 run, giving them the lead, 10-6. A 9-0 run by Ateneo secured them the lead at the end of the first quarter, 16-13.
Determined to retain the lead, former Green Archer Nico Elorde started the second quarter with a layup, upping the score 18-13. Elorde scored seven of the Ateneo’s 17 second quarter points. With less than 25 seconds left in the half and Ateneo leading by five, the Blue Eagles put the ball in the hands of Ravena.
Ravena attempted to close out the first 24 minutes of action on a high note but his effort was put to waste after DLSU was able to force a turnover. This gave Almond Vosotros the opportunity to connect on a buzzer-beating three pointer, cutting down Ateneo’s lead to two, 33-31.
Norbert Torres started off the second half festivities by tying the game at 33. Vosotros followed this up with a triple, to which Tiongson answered with his own evening out the game at 36. Ateneo then went on an 8-2 run which ended with a Frank Golla layup, putting the score at 44-38 and forcing DLSU Head Coach Juno Sauler to call for a timeout. The Blue Eagles remained on top at the end of the penultimate quarter, 49-46.
A minute and a half into the final quarter, Ravena was able to sink in a triple, his only successful one out of six attempts. However, Kib Montalbo and Vosotros responded with shots of their own.
With less than six minutes in the fourth, Vosotros worked double time and converted on another triple giving DLSU a 55-53 advantage, their first since the first quarter. Vosotros followed this up with an uncontested lay-up off a crucial steal, stretching the DLSU lead to four, 57-53. After Buenafe converted on an inside bucket, Jason Perkins immediately answered with a lethal trey, increasing DLSU’s lead to five.
With the DLSU threatening to pull away, Tiongson made back-to-back conversions to keep the Blue Eagles within striking distance at 61-59, still in favor of DLSU.
With only one minute left to play in the ball game, a questionable non-call on Buenafe’s missed put-back and a hand check foul on Ravena prompted Ateneo’s Head Coach Bo Perasol to charge into the court. Perasol’s actions warranted him a technical foul, which awarded DLSU possession and two bonus free throws. Vosotros converted both free throws to make it 63-59 in favor of the Green Archers.
At the 40-second mark, Buenafe hit one a timely triple, something he has been known for throughout his career, reducing the gap to just a point, 63-62. The following possession saw Teng barrel through the defense and earn a trip to the charity strip where he would eventually split his free throws. With only 14 seconds left, Ravena threw a circus lay-up tying the ball game at 64-64.
With the game on the line, DLSU put the ball in the hands of sophomore guard Teng. Teng drove strong to the basket and found a way to release a difficult shot over Ateneo’s best defender, Chris Newsome. His attempt found the bottom of the net with 1.9 seconds left and proved to be the deciding basket. With no timeouts remaining, Ravena had no other choice than to attempt a full-court heave that fell way short, giving DLSU the thrilling victory.
Shortly after both alma mater songs were sung, Perasol was involved in a scuffle with a DLSU fan, who allegedly taunted Ateneo’s head coach while making his way to the dugout with his team. Perasol was restrained by colleagues and players and was eventually able to exit the court.
“Just like any other streak, it will come to a close. We just need to find a way to get our wins again. It’s going to be an uphill battle,” said a much calmer Perasol in a post-game interview.
DLSU’s victory puts them ahead of Ateneo in the team standings. DLSU now sits at third place, with a 7-4 win-loss record. On the other hand, Ateneo drops to the fourth spot where they are tied with University of Santo Tomas with a 6-5 win-loss record.
The Blue Eagles will attempt to begin a new winning streak on Sunday, September 8, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena against University of the East.
Box Scores:
DLSU 66 – Vosotros 19, Perkins 13, Revilla 11, Teng 8, Torres N. 6, Van Opstal 4, Montalbo 3, Salem 2, Bolick 0, De La Paz 0, Reyes 0, Tampus 0.
ATENEO 64 – Tiongson 14, Elorde 13, Ravena 12, Buenafe 9, Newsome 8, Pessumal 4, Erram 2, Golla 2, Capacio 0, Enriquez 0, Tolentino 0.
