Perkins helps La Salle avoid 0-3 hole, nips NU

Nico Javelona (left) of NU drives against Robert Bolick (left) of DLSU during UAAP games at Mall of Asia Arena. EDWIN BELLOSILLO/INQUIRER

MANILA, Philippines — Jason Perkins came up big down the stretch and defending champion De La Salle University finally broke into the win column, 57-55, in the UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball tournament Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The lefty Perkins scored the Green Archers’ final six points in the last two minutes capping his late-game heroics with an inside incursion off a baseline inbound pass just before the shot clock buzzer sounded that sealed his team’s first win in three outings.

“Celebrate? We can’t celebrate. It’s too early,” said DLSU head coach Juno Sauler after his team avoided a 0-3 start with a tough University of the East next. “We still have to find ways to execute things especially because of the injury to Thomas Torres.”

“I told Jeron (Teng) to look to Norbert (Torres) and then Arnold (Van Opstal) and it took a while for the play to develop but Jeron was patient,” Sauler said as he recalled the play he mapped out with 1.9 ticks left in the shot clock and 8.7 seconds remaining in the game.

The sophomore forward Perkins shot five-of-nine from the field and hit all of his four free throws to go along with seven rebounds.

Norbert Torres nearly had a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds for La Salle, which missed all of its 16 attempts from the three-point area.

Almond Vosotros accounted for nine of those misses en route to a horrible shooting night where he made just three-of-16 from the field.

“We just have to keep working on our shots in practice. I think Almond was 0-9, I think. But that’s how he plays. I can’t take that away from him,” said Sauler.

The Archers dropped their first two games against Far Eastern University and Ateneo last Sunday and Sauler said the main difference this time was his team’s defense.

“I think we stepped up defensively. They scored 55 and against FEU and Ateneo we gave up 89 points and in the fourth against Ateneo and FEU 30 points. We just have to toughen up defensively especially in the end game.”

Jeron Teng scattered nine points, six rebounds and five assists, including the nice setup to Perkins for the game-clinching basket underneath.

Starting point guard Thomas Torres missed his first game due to a fractured right ankle. Kib Montalbo started in his place.

Alfred Aroga paced the Bulldogs, who lost just their first game after beating University of Santo Tomas and University of the Philippines in their first two outings, with 12 points and nine boards.

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