Sharp shooter: La Salle rookie makes rousing introduction

Games on Wednesday:

(Mall of Asia Arena)

3 p.m. — Ateneo vs UE

5:30 p.m. — La Salle vs UST

Defending champion De La Salle University got what it expected from National University (NU).

The Green Archers weathered the Bulldogs’ furious fourth-quarter uprising to pull off a scary 89-87 win at the start of their title-retention bid in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

La Salle saw its 14-point first-half lead dwindle to just one in the last 6.3 seconds. Then, it had to hold its breath after NU’s PJ Palacielo got an open look for a potential game-winning three-pointer, which, luckily for the Green Archers, hit the side of the board as time expired.

“As always, it’s gonna be a battle until the final buzzer,” Green Archers head coach Topex Robinson said of the rematch of last year’s Final Four where La Salle upset the then-twice-to-beat NU.

“We were able to pull up early but they were able to get back. You just have to appreciate the way these guys are really responding. It’s not really an easy task playing NU. They’ve been doing well in the pre-season. But guys are contributing and helping each other out, especially on the defensive end,” Robinson added.

Rookie Joaquin Tovera introduced himself by dropping 22 points on 8-of-14 field goal shooting for La Salle, which controlled the match despite getting outrebounded by NU, 36-54.

Luis Pablo had 16 points and seven rebounds, Doy Dungo had 12 points while Jacob Cortez and Earl Abadam chipped in nine points each for the Green Archers, who opened a 50-36 lead in the second period.

La Salle had some anxious moments after its 85-77 lead with over five minutes left was trimmed down to 85-84 following NU’s 7-0 run capped by a Mo Diassana jumper with 2:40 left.

Dungo gave the Green Archers a little breathing room with a much-needed triple with 49.5 seconds left but the Bulldogs answered with a split from the line by Diassana and a Reinhard Jumamoy layup to cut it down to 88-87 with 6.3 ticks left.

Cortez had a chance to put the game away from the foul line but missed both his freethrows. Mason Amos collared the board after Cortez’s miss and got a split from the line for a two-point La Salle lead with three seconds left.

Tebol Garcia led NU, which now lost three in a row to the Green Archers, with 14 points while Kenshin Padrones got 14 points and seven rebounds while Diassana had 12 points and 12 boards.

Meanwhile, Adamson University tightened its defensive screw in the fourth quarter to pull off a come-from-behind, 56-53, victory over season host Far Eastern University (FEU) in the curtain-raiser.

The Falcons displayed resilience and great resolve after climbing out of a 13-point hole in the third period before holding down the Tamaraws to just seven points in the final canto.

“We’re just very thankful that we were able to get the win. It’s a tough battle every time we play FEU. They really made it hard for us also,” Adamson coach Nash Racela said.

“At some point in the game, we were kinda loss and that’s because of what FEU did to us. It just so happened that our players were able to gather and group themselves together to recover and play better,” he added.

Monty Montebon finished with a game-high 18 points while rookie Mat Eding had 10 for the Falcons, who went down 33-46 with 58 seconds left in the third quarter.

Matt Erolon had eight points, including the last four markers of Adamson, while Nigerian freshman Precious Jonah scored eight, pulled down 11 rebounds and had four blocks.

Erolon nailed two foul shots before draining a jumper to give the Falcons a 56-53 lead with 1:32 left. Adamson’s defense held off FEU as Kiry Mongcopa missed a potential game-tying triple in the closing seconds.

Reigning Most Valuable Player Janrey Pasaol had 11 points on a dry 2-of-11 field goal shooting while rookie Cabs Cabonilas debuted with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds in a losing effort for the Tamaraws.