The game was close in the first two quarters, with La Salle maintaining a slim 4-point lead, 43-39, heading into halftime.
La Salle threatened to pull away at the start of the fourth by extending its lead to 10, 68-58, with 8 minutes to go in the ballgame.
But turnovers and cold shooting from the Green Archers allowed UE to trim the lead.
Five straight points by Roi Sumang tied the game at 73 with over 3 minutes left in the game.
The Green Archers then took a 4-point lead with over a minute left, 81-77, but another 5-0 run capped off by a three-pointer by Ralf Olivarez shifted the lead back to the Red Warriors.
With the Red Warriors holding on to a 3-point lead, La Salle’s Luigi dela Paz hit a long two-pointer with only 17 seconds left.
Olivarez was then fouled and split his charities to give UE an 85-83 lead.
The Green Archers had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer but Thomas Torres missed a floater in the lane.
Sumang led the Red Warriors with 21 points. Charles Mammie and Olivarez chipped in with 19 points and 8 points, respectively.
Almond Vosotros scored a career-high 26 points in a losing effort.
La Salle suffered its second straight loss despite having a double digit advantage in the final quarter.
In its last game against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, La Salle had a 13-point advantage before squandering it and eventually lose in overtime.
La Salle fell to its third loss in five games while UE improved its record to 3-3.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
