[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Green Archers edges Tams in UAAP caging ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Friday, October 13, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=’18’ font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – De La Salle University Green Archers survived a sloppy ending to escape with a 75-73 win over Far Eastern University Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
This victory on Wednesday night allowed the defending champion De La Salle to solidify its hold of the second spot with a 6-2 win-loss record and bounce back from its 76-75 loss to Ateneo Blue Eagles on Sunday.
Ricci Rivero led the way with 20 points, Cameroonian import Benoit Mbala had double-double 18 points and 17 rebounds, while Jollo Go contributed 14 markers for Green Archers.
From a tightly contested opening half, Green Archers pulled away in the third quarter on conversions by Mbala and Rivero for a double-digit spread. But Tamaraws managed to keep it close 56-62 heading into the fourth.
Green Archers were holding to a slim 67-65 lead when Go unloaded 5 straight points for a 72-65 lead but Tamaraws quickly answered with back-to-back treys by Kenneth Tuffin and Hubert Cani to come to within 71-74.
De La Salle had a chance to seal the win but Rivero hit just one out of his four free throw attempts for a 75-73 lead. It was his teammate Andrei Caracut who sealed the win by snatching the ball.
“Muntik pa,” exclaimed Green Archers assistant coach Miggy Solitaria. “We are telling the players that we should stick to the system. Isang beses, dalawang beses lang kaming malingat nagkakaroon siya ng impact agad.”
Tuffin top-scored with season-high 14 points while Cani and Ron Dennison added 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Tamaraws, which played without suspended big man Arvin Tolentino./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
