Tovera-led La Salle wins 3rd straight as rival Ateneo falls in OT thriller

RIVALS. La Salle’s star rookie Joaquin Tovera shoots over Ateneo captain Ian Espinosa during the two teams’ rivalry match in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament.

UAAP

Super rookie Joaquin Tovera shines with a heroic performance as La Salle trumps rival Ateneo in overtime to stay undefeated in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament second round

AT A GLANCE

• La Salle rookie Joaquin Tovera led the Green Archers to a 76-73 overtime victory against Ateneo, scoring 21 points and providing 6 assists before injuring his ankle.
• The win allowed La Salle to break a standings tie with Ateneo, moving them to third place in the tournament with a 6-4 record.
• NU Bulldogs also secured a win against UST, strengthening their second-place position with a 75-71 score, while UST fell to seventh place with a 4-6 record.

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MANILA, Philippines – La Salle rookie Joaquin Tovera again stayed ahead of his learning curve in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament as he led the Green Archers to a thrilling 76-73 overtime escape of rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, October 31.

Before succumbing to a non-contact ankle roll in the final minute of a heated extra period, Tovera willed La Salle with game-highs of 21 points and 6 assists to go with 7 rebounds as the Green Archers broke a standings deadlock with the Blue Eagles to go third at 6-4.

Veteran guard JC Macalalag led a balanced scoring effort behind Tovera with 11 points in nearly 39 minutes of action, as six other La Salle players tallied at least 5 points.

“When the game went to overtime, we just reminded everybody about what we discussed before the game and we talked about our dreams,” said Archers head coach Topex Robinson.

“In every moment, the strongest dream will win that moment, so we all dream about playing in the De La Salle-Ateneo rivalry. These guys just showed up and they believed in what we prepared for.”

Ateneo young stars Jared Bahay and super rookie Kieffer Alas paced the heartbreaking loss with 18 points apiece — with all their efforts nullified as they failed to link up on a basic inbounds pass that gave the ball back to the Green Archers with 3.3 seconds left in overtime.

Shawn Tuano added 12 points and 6 rebounds, while Travis Roberts likewise scored 12 on a 5-of-17 clip, as the Blue Eagles tripped down a 5-5 slate for fifth place in a hyper-competitive field still featuring seven realistic Final Four contenders.

Rising NU keeps UST skidding

In the previous game of the loaded double-header, the NU Bulldogs strengthened its hold of second place with a scrappy 75-71 escape of the reeling UST Growling Tigers for a 7-3 record — half a game behind 7-2 UP.

Head coach Jeff Napa once again worked his magic on big men as star foreign student-athlete Mo Diassana tallied a huge 16-point, 19-rebound double-double, backstopped by 14 markers and 6 boards in just 15 minutes from MVP candidate PJ Palacielo.

Burly big Kenshin Padrones added his own double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Tebol Garcia topscored the NU back court with 12 points, 7 boards, and a game-high 6 assists, making up for MVP frontrunner Reinhard Jumamoy’s lackluster 6-point showing.

Amiel Acido and Mark Llemit paced the losing cause with 13 and 12 points, respectively, while star center Collins Akowe was limited to 11 points on 2-of-7 shooting with just 5 rebounds in 33 minutes.

Amid a heavily-contested elimination round, UST plummeted to a 4-6 card at seventh place with a costly third straight loss, while still being just two games behind No. 3 La Salle.

The Scores

First Game

NU 75 – Diasanna 16, Palacielo 14, Padrones 13, Garcia 12, Jumamoy 6, Reyes 6, Francisco 5, Cartel 3, Alfanta 0, Miranda 0, Figueroa 0, Solomon 0, Serrano 0.

UST 71 – Acido 13, Llemit 12, Akowe 11, Chio 11, Porter 8, Buenaflor 6, Jumawan 5, Sevilla 3, Cañete 2, Danting 0, Alao 0, Manding 0.

Quarters: 24-18, 40-39, 57-57, 75-71.

Second Game

La Salle 76 – Tovera 21, Macalalag 11, Dungo 8, Amos 8, Agunanne 8, Marasigan 6, Pablo 5, Abadam 5, Quines 2, Gagate 2, Cortez 0. 

Ateneo 73 – Bahay 18, Alas 18, Tuano 12, Roberts 12, Kapihe 6, Baruwa 3, Espinosa 2, Rogers 2, Bongo 0, Cainglet 0, Espina 0, Leal 0.