SAN JUAN, MM—Jason Perkins nailed the go-ahead basket as La Salle subdued Perpetual Help, 81-79, in the last quarterfinal match of the FilOil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup at the FilOil Flying V Arena on Wednesday night.
Perkins got the ball from Jeron Teng and scored the undergoal stab with 0.6 second left to lift the defending champions Green Archers over the Altas, who erased a late ten-point deficit.
La Salle led, 73-63, with 8:10 remaining in the game, but Gab Dagangon and Prince Eze teamed up for a 13-3 run to tie the game, 76-all, with 2:17 left. Dagangon missed a contested layup that could have put Perpetual Help up.
Perkins nailed two free throws to give the Archers a 78-76 lead with 1:17 to go.
Gerald Dizon missed on back-to-back triple attempts as Teng made a split to extend the lead to three with 14.6 seconds left.
Dagangon nailed a contested right wing trey to tie the match, 79-all, with 6.3 seconds on the clock.
Teng, who nailed the game-winning layup against UST to put La Salle in the playoffs, found Perkins free inside as Bright Akhuetie opted to help in defense. Perkins nearly lost the ball, but recovered the ball in time for the marginal basket.
Keith Pido tried to go for an alley-oop to Eze at the inbound, but his pass went too high as La Salle safely inbounded the ball to secure the win.
Teng led the Archers with 19 points, five rebounds, and six assists, while Perkins had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds along with five assists.
Akhuetie tallied 25 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and a steal, while Dagangon added 23 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal for the Altas.
La Salle will battle fellow UAAP side FEU in the semifinals on Friday at 3 p.m.
La Salle will battle fellow UAAP side FEU in the semifinals on Friday at 3 p.m.
Box Scores:
La Salle 81-Teng 19, Torres 18, Tratter 14, Caracut 12, Perkins 11, Torralba 5, Gob 2, Go 0, Sargent 0
Perpetual Help 79-Akhuetie 25, Dagangon 23, Ylagan 10, Elopre 8, Eze 8, Sadiwa 4, Dizon 1, Oliveria 0, Gallardo 0, Coronel 0, Pido 0, Bantayan 0, Cabiltes 0
Quarterscores: 21-16, 44-33, 67-60, 81-79