La Salle beats Ateneo 76-73 in overtime to take outright third
Joaquin Tovera contributed 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists before an apparent ankle injury forced him out during overtime.
De La Salle University moved to 6-4 and took third place outright after defeating Ateneo de Manila University 76-73 in overtime on October 31 at Smart Araneta Coliseum. Ateneo’s record fell to 5-5 in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament.
La Salle began the extra period with six unanswered points for a 72-66 advantage. Travis Roberts answered with a three-point play for Ateneo, before Mason Amos connected from beyond the arc for the Green Archers.
Kieffer Alas then scored twice to bring Ateneo within two points. Henry Agunanne made one free throw to help secure the result, while Vhoris Marasigan and Doy Dungo were unable to score on their visits to the line.
Earlier, La Salle’s largest advantage was 49-41 in the third quarter. Ateneo reduced that gap to 51-48 by the end of the period, then went ahead 66-64 in the fourth through Jared Bahay. Agunanne levelled the score with a dunk, and Alas missed a shot before overtime.
Joaquin Tovera finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists for La Salle but left during overtime with an apparent ankle injury. JC Macalalag added 11 points. Bahay and Alas each scored 18 for Ateneo, with Bahay also collecting nine rebounds.
