At the end of the day, Mayhem still has no match
In the first meeting between La Salle head coach Aldin Ayo and National University mentor Jamike Jarin, the Green Archers were able to gut out a 115-109 victory against the Bulldogs to keep their slate unblemished, Saturday afternoon at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
And Ayo and the Green Archers needed to win this game, as they are dedicating it to the Our Lady of Penafrancia’s feast day on Sunday.
“First of all, all year long, even last season, our team has been asking for grace from Mama Mary. We dedicate this game to Our Lady of Penafrancia,” said Ayo.
Ricci Rivero led the escape with 21 points and seven rebounds. And the sophomore stepped up when La Salle needed it most.
Up by just a solitary point, 104-103, Kib Montalbo was able to find Ricci Rivero for a long two with 3:15 left. NU’s Senegalese student-athlete Issa Gaye scored four straight points to give the Bulldogs the edge once more.
Rivero was then able to draw a foul on Dave Yu on the other side that secured two free throws, and was followed by a beautiful euro step against Gaye with 2:00 remaining, to give La Salle the lead for good.
“We showed lots of tenacity,” declared Ayo. “We were resilient and the composure was there. We were able to execute our plays, especially in the end game.”
A find by Ricci to his older Prince underneath and a split by Aljun Melecio on the stripe proved to be the finishing touches, as NU struggled to find the hole in the end game.
After finishing with 29 points in the first game, Melecio was able to overcome foul trouble with 20 points, while Santi Santillan finished with 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Jollo Go, a third year La Salle guard, tallied his career-high 19 points, scoring eight points in the third frame that helped erase NU’s 80-69 lead.
Filipino-American floor general Jordan Bartlett was spectacular in his second UAAP game, finishing with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting. JJay Alejandro added 18 points but needed 16 attempts, while Gaye chipped in 16 markers.
NU will next face the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Wednesday, September 20, at 2:00pm. La Salle take on the Adamson University Soaring Falcons on the same day at 4:00pm.
The Scores:
DLSU 115 – Rivero R 21, Melecio 20, Go 19, Santillan 13, Tratter 11, Rivero P 10, Caracut 9, Montalbo 8, Baltazar 4
NU 109 – Bartlett 23, Alejandro 18, Gaye 16, Salem 12, Aquino 10, Morido 5, Diputado 5, Yu 4, Lastimosa 4, Tibayan 4, Abatayo 4, Mosqueda 2, Rangel 2, Cauilan 0, Joson 0, Flores 0
Quarterscores: 31-29, 65-61, 91-88, 115-109
