Archers prevail vs Blue Eagles in overtime

MANILA, Philippines — La Salle shot down rival Ateneo, 76-73, in overtime of their UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tussle Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The Green Archers fended off a gritty Blue Eagles side to get their third straight win in the tournament and rise to solo third.

Joaquin Tovera took center stage in the rivalry game, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal in 32 minutes of play before exiting the ballgame with an ankle injury. JC Macalalag added 11 markers and three boards to go with two steals. 

The two teams traded haymakers in regulation, with the lead swinging like a pendulum. 

A floater by Jared Bahay with 48.3 seconds to go in the fourth pushed Ateneo ahead, 65-64, before his split from the line with 26.9 ticks remaining pushed their lead to two, 66-64.

On the other end, a slam by Henry Agunanne tied things up, and a Kieffer Alas drifting jumper missed for the win. 

In the overtime period, La Salle started off with a 6-0 run thanks to the collective effort of Luis Pablo and Tovera. 

An and-one play by Travis Roberts snapped the run, before Mason Amos connected on a trey for the dagger, 75-69. 

Back-to-back layups by Alas, however, nipped the lead to just two, 73-75, with 28.4 seconds to go. 

A split from the line by Agunanne made it a three-point ballgame, 76-73, and after a miss by Roberts on the other end, Vhoris Marasigan was fouled. Marasigan missed both, and on the inbound, Ateneo’s Bahay could not 

take control of the ball, which sailed out of bounds. 

A pair of misses from the free throw line by Doy Dungo opened up a window of opportunity for the Blue Eagles, but a heave by Ian Espinosa from three-fourths court missed as the clock melted. 

Dungo, Agunanne and Amos had eight points each in the win. 

Bahay and Alas paced Ateneo with 18 points each. The former had nine rebounds, four assists and three steals, while the latter hauled down four boards, dished out three dimes and had two steals. Shawn Tuano and Roberts finished with 12 points each. 

Through 101 contests all-time, La Salle is now leading 51-50. 

The Green Archers are now holding a 6-4 win-loss record, while Ateneo dropped to 5-5.