By Ivan Saldajeno
SAN JUAN, MM--Coach Aldin Ayo scored a hard-fought win against his former squad as La Salle enters the FilOil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup quarterfinals with an immaculate 7-0 record after getting the better of a 78-70 result against Letran in the final game of the elimination round at the FilOil Flying V Centre on Sunday night.
After steering the Knights to a grand Cinderella finish in the NCAA last year en route to the championship, Ayo played as their opponent on Sunday night, and they, already out of contention, appeared to be heading to a huge win in the no-bearing game as they took a 34-31 lead at halftime.
But the Green Archers reentered the court with renewed energy, opening the third quarter on a 16-3 run to open a double-digit lead and never looked back despite the Knight's gallant effort in the end to complete the sweep in Group B of the group stages.
Jeron Teng tallied 22 points, two rebounds, and four assists, while Ben Mbala, despite the pestering defense of undersized bigs Jom Sollano and Felix Apreku, still made 14 points and 18 rebounds for La Salle, which will face FEU in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
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