IT took until the final buzzer, but La Salle can now heave a huge sigh of relief.
The Green Archers dodged a bullet and avoided suffering back-to-back losses after escaping Far Eastern University, 74-72, Wednesday at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Jorick Bautista had a chance to tie the game for the Tamaraws, but flubbed his layup in the clutch, leading to the green-and-white wasting away the final 2.0 seconds of the game to earn the bounce back win in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament.
Doy Dungo stepped up for La Salle, top-scoring for his squad with 17 points in his old stomping grounds, as he made up for the absence of Kean Baclaan, who sat the game out due to a sprained ankle.
EJ Gollena added 14 points and eight rebounds, Jacob Cortez and Mason Amos had identical statlines of 14 points, four assists, and three boards each, and Mike Phillips did the yeoman's job with 13 rebounds and nine assists to go with six points.
Despite pulling off the victory, the Green Archers left a lot to be desired, as they lost grip of a 14-point third quarter lead, 58-44, and were held to 10 points in the final period.
Close but no cigar for FEU
But the game was more painful for the Tamaraws, who rallied from an 11-point hole to start the fourth and got as close as two after Bautista's trey with 54.4 seconds left.
Unfortunately, it was another botched opportunity in the clutch for the green-and-gold, which slid down to a 0-3 slate.
Janrey Pasaol once again saw his 25-point effort go down the drain, as he shot 3-of-6 from deep, while also nabbing five rebounds and four assists.
Mo Konateh got himself another double-double with 14 points, 10 boards, two assists, and two blocks, Kirby Mongcopa shot three treys for his 13 points, and Bautista had 10 in the losing effort.
The Scores:
LA SALLE 74 - Dungo 17, Amos 14, Cortez 14, Gollena 14, Phillips 6, Marasigan 5, Pablo 2, Abadam 2, Daep 0, Melencio 0.
FEU 72 - Pasaol 25, Konateh 14, Mongcopa 13, Bautista 10, Owens 6, Daa 2, Ona 2, Bagunu 0, Montemayor 0, Salangsang 0, Amos 0.
Quarters: 21-14, 37-30, 64-51, 74-72.
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