Naveen Ganglani
MR RELIABLE. Jeron Teng comes alive when his team needs it most. Josh Albelda/RAPPLER
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – In what was a potential preview of the UAAP Finals, the De La Salle Green Archers rallied from a 9-point deficit in the third quarter and defeated the NU Bulldogs, 75-66, on Sunday, September 18, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Led by the clutch play of Jeron Teng, all-around performance of Ben Mbala, and big-time contributions by the supporting cast, DLSU won the battle between undefeated teams and improved its record to 4-0.
NU, for its part, dropped to 2-1.
Teng led all scorers with 23 points, while Mbala put up 16 points, 15 rebounds, and two steals. Ricci Rivero and Abu Tratter both played well with 6 points each, including big baskets down the stretch.
Matt Salem, who used to play for the Green Archers, led NU with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Alfred Aroga was limited to only 2 points and had 7 turnovers.
La Salle began its game-clinching rally when it was down 57-56, as Teng converted 3 straight baskets. Salem converted a pair of lay-ups as well to make it a 62-61 game, but DLSU pulled away after Tratter converted two straight baskets for some breathing room.
A side-step from a baseline drive by Rivero eventually sealed the win for his team as they went up 68-61 with two minutes to go. – Rappler.com
