Teng steals spotlight from Mbala in huge Game 1 win
DLSU's Jeron Teng soars for a basket in Game 1 of the UAAP Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena, Saturday night. | Philstar.com/Efigenio Toledo IV
MANILA, Philippines – When Game One of the UAAP Finals tilted on the balance, all eyes were on Ben Mbala to help the Green Archers put away the Blue Eagles.
Of course, the spotlight would be on him. Why not? He’s got 20 points to lead his team. He’s the runaway Most Valuable Player, who will be officially crowned soon. He’s a double-double machine. He is his own highlight reel.
But as the Archers found their backs against the wall with 19 seconds left, it was Jeron Teng, who basked in the spotlight.
The graduating forward, who looks to close his amateur arc with a championship, brought the ball from the right wing of the court. His feet shuffled to to feign going all the way to the right, only to shift to his left. He carried the leather as he entered the paint, held it up and then laid it up with his right.
In that swift moment, not only did Teng carry the ball to the hoop, but he also took the Green Archers in tow, putting his squad ahead by a point.
Jeron slices through the defense! La Salle leads. pic.twitter.com/EVX8R1hLCD
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) December 3, 2016
“I just had to step up,” Teng said. “Siguro ‘yung basket instinct ko na lang ‘yun.
The cager also noted that his teammate Ben Mbala helped him pull it off by “sealing [defenders].”
“I was trying get my flow in the game and make up for defense,” he added.
But that was only half of the story. As if trying to be an embodiment of their famed “mayhem” defense, he stuck to Ateneo’s Aaron Black, who set it up in the middle, threatening to snatch the lead at the buzzer. He launched as his mark went up for a shot.
Then, the block. What came next was the win.
Teng to Black: pic.twitter.com/l0yMwpoiZ6
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) December 3, 2016
“It’s winning time,” Archers head coach Aldin Ayo said of his ward’s play “Ito 'yung mga players na hindi magpapatalo.”
“‘Yung stop ko kay Aaron, crunch time na ‘yun eh,” Teng said. “Adrenaline na ‘yun … buti natamaan ko ‘yung bola.”
La Salle thus moved one win away from capping off a stellar season and dispatching their storied rivals for good. But the senior Archer believes the Eagles won’t go down without a fight on Wednesday at the Big Dome.
“I told my teammates we have to do better,” Teng said. “Kinabahan kami. Next game we’ll play better.”
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