Archers bounce back, force decider

MANILA, Philippines – The De La Salle Green Archers will live to fight another day.

The Archers bounced back from a disheartening Game 1 loss, hacking out a 77-70 victory over the UST Tigers in Saturday's Game 2  to extend the series to a winner-take-all showdown in the 76th UAAP men's basketball finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Jeron Teng led the Archers with 19 points, but the effort of big men Arnold Van Opstal and Norbert Torres spelled the difference. La Salle’s frontline tandem combined for 29 points and 24 rebounds to help the team force a sudden-death Game 3 next Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

This marks the first decider since 2009 when Ateneo and UE took the full route in their best-of-three finals match-up.

"Everyone played well today, not just the bigs but also the guards. It's all about our mindset and playing hard," said La Salle coach Juno Sauler.

"I think it's obvious," added Sauler, when asked about his players imposing their will inside the paint.

The Archers’ size advantage was in full display with the Taft-based squad dominating the rebounding department, 57-39, including 27 offensive boards that translated to an 18-6 upperhand in second chance points.

La Salle stringed together a modest 10-5 run capped by Torres’ two freebies at the midway point of the payoff period to take a 77-63 lead. They likewise clamped down on the Tigers for most of the quarter and held on to the win despite UST scoring the game’s last seven points.

"Malaking bagay sa amin yung nag-share kami ng bola kasi nung last game nagka-kanya-kanya kami," said Teng.

"We really gave our all in this game and next game play even harder," he added.

The Archers finally managed to contain the Tigers tendency to start strong, unleashing an 11-0 blitz to close the  firstcanto to take a 21-12 margin.

"We just have to be more aggressive. It's a do-or-die game already. If we lose, there is no tomorrow for us," said Torres, who had seven offensive rebounds.

A total of 23,037 fans trooped to the venue, turning the stands into a sea of green and yellow.

Jeric Teng paced the Growling Tigers with a game-high 28 points, but he lacked the support from most of his teammates. Karim Abdul is the other lone UST player in double figures with 13 markers.

The Archers continued their torrid start, erecting their biggest lead at 36-19 lead capped by six straight points from Vosotros to mount their biggest lead with 6:16 remaining in the second canto.

UST countered with a 14-5 tear to close the first half, cutting the lead to a single deficit 33-41 entering the second half.

Jeric Teng of UST led all scorers in the first half with 15 markers while Jeron Teng chalked up 12 markers for the Archers, who controlled the boards, 35-21.

The Tigers did not cool down and opened the third quarter with a 10-3 run that was highlighted by back-to-back triples from Teng and Clark Bautista to inch closer 43-44.

But the Archers responded with a 13-2 barrage to build a 57-45 cushion at the 3:20 mark.

UST was well on their way back to the game with a quick 6-0 zip, but Kevin Ferrer was assessed with a technical foul following a mad scramble for the ball. Torres then sank the two technical free throws and completed a three-point play in the extra possession to give La Salle a 62-51 lead.

Jeric Teng's hot hands kept the Tigers in the game, but Perkins had the last say in the third period to take a 64-53 advantage entering the final canto.