MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) – The De La Salle Green Archers solidified their hold on 4th spot as they finally won against the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 59-56 on Saturday in the UAAP Season 73 men's basketball at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Green Archers leaned on rookie Almond Vosotros’ clutch shooting to score a victory against the Bulldogs after losing their last two meetings, including last season’s second-round loss that denied them a chance to enter the Final 4.

Vosotros, who came out of the four-peat San Sebastian Staglets in the NCAA Juniors, scored on a fastbreak and made 2 pressure-packed free throws to fend off the Bulldogs’ spirited rally down the stretch.

He bungled the bonus free throw off a 3-point play opportunity in that fastbreak in the last 1:38 minutes but he atoned for it in the end game.

Vosotros’ incomplete three-point play gave the Archers a 3-point cushion, 57-54, but NU’s Joseph Terso sliced the deficit to a point in the final 13.3 seconds.

Vosotros then calmly sank his charities off Terso’s foul to extend the Archers’ lead back to three, 59-56, with 7.3 seconds remaining.

The Bulldogs had a chance to send the game into overtime but Mervin Baloran muffed his 3-point attempt at the buzzer. It didn’t help that the Bulldogs’ top gunner Kokoy Hermosisima was not on the floor in the final play after fouling out in the last 8.9 seconds.

The Archers improved to 5-3 while the Bulldogs slipped outside the top 4 with a 3-5 record.

“This is a big win for us. It’s a good experience for us to win in this type of game. I’m happy that they finally delivered,” La Salle coach Dindo Pumaren said after the game.

Vosotros delivered a career-high 16 points to pace the Archers. Veteran guard Simon Atkins also played big with 13 points built on 3-of-4 shooting from the 3-point zone.

Another DLSU rookie, Philip Paredes, also dished out a solid game, collecting 6 points, 6 boards and 4 shot blocks as he started in place of struggling veteran slotman Ferdinand.

“I would like to help the kid (Ferdinand) so I asked him [at the end of the first round] what can I do to help him. He asked me if he can get off the bench instead of starting. I appreciated his gesture and I’m glad Papot (Paredes) played well,” Pumaren said.

Ferdinand played only 9 minutes and did not score on two attempts, but he made one shot block and helped slow down NU’s Emmanuel Mbe in the second half.

Mbe, who scored 9 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the first half, was held down to 6 and 5 in the second half.

Terso also scored 15 markers for the Bulldogs but only got a paltry 3 points from Hermosisima, who shot 1-of-9 from the field.

The Scores:

DLSU 59 – Vosotros 16, Atkins 13, Paredes 6, Elorde 4, Villanueva 3, Tolentino 3, Banal 3, Dela Paz 2, Webb 2, Mendoza 2, Marata 2, Andrada 2, Tampus 1, Ferdinand 0.

NU 56 – Mbe 15, Terso 15, Baloran 10, Magat 6, Khobuntin 4, Ponferrada 3, Hermosisima 3, Javillionar 0, Eriobu 0, Tungcul 0,. Singh 0, Malanday 0.

Quarters: 16-12, 23-22, 43-34, 59-56.