La Salle’s Ben Mbala shoots over Adamson’s Papi Sarr. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
La Salle’s patented mayhem basketball showed its vulnerable side Sunday night.
The unbeaten Green Archers wobbled a bit in the stretch before securing their eighth straight victory after scraping past the Adamson Falcons, 86-79, in UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball at MoA Arena.
“We lost focus in making the right decisions when they came too close,” said peppery guard Aljun Melecio in the post-game interview. “We just stuck to the system and survive them.”
Safely ahead by double digits near the end, the Archers saw the lead fritter away as Adamson’s Jerrick Ahanmisi and Papi Sarr pulled the Falcons within two points inside two minutes.
“They were able to find ways to get back. But we stuck together and kept on playing,” said Ben Mbala, who again bulldozed his way to double-double figures with 18 points and 10 rebounds and helped the Archers weather the rally.
Kib Montalbo’s three and a pair of Mbala free throws sealed the victory for the Green Archers while sending the Falcons in a triple tie with Ateneo and NU at 4-4.
“It was a close game, but I told them not to abandon our system,” said La Salle coach Aldin Ayo. “There were things that we cannot control on the floor when Adamson came back and it affected our defense.”
Ayo was referring to the 20 fouls that the referees whistled on the Archers in the second half compared to Adamson’s eight.
“We had plenty of fouls. They (Falcons) might had been playing excellent defense and they were not fouling,” said Ayo.
Monbert Arong’s mid-range jumper with 3.7 seconds remaining, carried the FEU Tamaraws to a come-from-behind 57-56 squeaker over the NU Bulldogs.
Sprung by a screen from backup center Ken Holmqvist, Arong faked Alfred Aroga, took a step closer to the rim before launching the game-winner that sealed FEU’s sixth win in eight games.
“The play was designed for me and I was confident that my shot would go in,” said Arong in Filipino after scoring his team’s last five points that completed the turnaround from 11 points down in the third.