Philippine Sports News

A day after walking the runway, Teng and Van Opstal fall flat against FEU

September 21, 2014 Philippine Sports News

Ace wingman Jeron Teng and towering center Arnold Van Opstal refused to make any excuses on Sunday night following the defending champion La Salle’s crucial 60-65 defeat against Far Eastern U in their playoff match for the last twice-to-beat edge in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

A day after participating in a local fashion show that was supposedly set last Friday night but was moved due to torrential rains brought by Typhoon Mario, both Teng and Van Opstal struggled on both ends against the Tamaraws’ suffocating defense, leaving a big chunk of fans wondering whether they were affected by the off-court commitment.

Teng, who was also recovering from dengue that struck him and his elder brother Jeric earlier this week, could only come up with eight points on a horrendous 2-of-11 shooting on top of eight rebounds before fouling out in the closing seconds while the 6-foot-7 Van Opstal only had seven markers.

Teng and Van Opstal combined for 12 of the team’s 20 turnovers, some of these even coming during the stretch when FEU tightened up its defensive screws and unloaded seven unanswered points in the final three minutes.

“Syempre kapag talo lahat sasabihin. Pero tatanggapin ko na lang sasabihin nila,” said Teng after emerging from the team’s dugout. “No excuse ako. Medyo wala pa ako sa timing. Wala na wala na akong lagnat. One hundred percent na ako.”

Van Opstal, meanwhile, opted to stress their what cost them the all-important victory that handed FEU a twice-to-beat edge in the semifinals.

“FEU played well. Just breaks of the game in the end. Unfortunately it’s not what we wanted,” said the 6-foot-7 Fil-German.

“We just gotta play smarter the next game. They (the Tamaraws) are a very good team. In general, they run their offense well and they play well defensively. They’re a tough team,” Van Opstal added.

Even La Salle coach Juno Sauler lamented his wards’ offensive struggles, notably in the final three minutes when they committed four errors and missed at least three attempts from the field.

“We just have to keep finding good shots and continue to play in a team setting,” Sauler noted. “]The Tamaraws] attack well on offense and defended well on defense.”

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