By NIKOLE JAVIER
LA SALLE rolled to its eighth straight win as it exacted sweet revenge over defending champion Ateneo, 72-69, to sweep the second round of the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday night, Nov. 18, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In front of the 14,900 weekend crowd, the Green Archers showed steely resolve to avert what could be an embarrassing collapse to finish the double-round elims with an 11-3 record.
And if the UP Fighting Maroons (11-2) beat the NU Bulldogs (10-3) on Sunday, La Salle will finish second and claim the second twice-to-beat armor.
But if NU wins with a 39-point margin over UP, La Salle and the former will dispute for the semifinal advantage.
MVP frontrunner Kevin Quiambao registered another all-around display with 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Mike Phillips, for his part, delivered a double-double performance of 10 rebounds and 14 rebounds, while Evan Nelle and Mark Nonoy had 10 points each.
La Salle stayed ahead for most of the game and held a 64-56 advantage after a crucial 8-2 run highlighted by Josh David and Evan Nelle from beyond the arc with 5:08 remaining.
However, Ateneo refused to be clamped down and unleashed a 9-2 counter-attack capped by Jared Brown’s triple to pull itself within a single point, 65-66.
Chris Koon, however, turned the ball in an inbound play that paved the way for Nelle’s closely-contested jumper at the 1:06 mark.
Although the Blue Eagles fought hard to the last second, the Green Archers came out the better side.
“This is really a surreal feeling playing against Ateneo in this round. We just slug it out with them. We were ahead most of the time, we knew that they were gonna bounce back. They are gonna fight their way through. What’s important to us is also important to them. I guess we’ve learned from our mistakes during the first time we’ve played them,” said La Salle head coach Topex Robinson.
Obasa’s huge 21-point outing went for naught as the Blue Eagles’ slid to an even 7-7 slate in the standings.
Despite the loss, Ateneo can still clinch the Final Four slot if Adamson loses to University of the East in their final elimination game of the season.
If the Falcons edge the Red Warriors, they will forge a playoff with the Eagles.
The scores:
LA SALLE 72 – Quiambao 14, Nelle 10, M. Phillips 10, Nonoy 10, Policarpio 9, Austria 6, David 6, Abadam 4, Cortez 2, Escandor 1, Manuel 0, Macalalag 0.
ATENEO 69 – Obasa 21, Ballungay 12, Amos 10, Koon 9, Credo 4, Espinosa 4, Quitevis 4, Brown 3, Lazaro 2, Nieto 0, Chiu 0.
Quarters: 14-17, 35-32, 51-46, 72-69.
