DLSU head coach Aldin Ayo refused to congratulate his team, called the game “horrible”, and even had to be consoled by his coaching staff, while the Green and White gallery looked more relieved than jubilant; despite punching the first finals ticket in Season 79 and the final score stating La Salle 69, Adamson 64, why does it feel like the Green Archers lost, rather than won, yesterday’s Final Four game against the Soaring Falcons?

The problem for La Salle was that they could not secure the ball.

Sole possession of the number one seed and a twice-to-beat advantage, the Green Archers were in full control of their own fate this season.

La Salle’s last elimination round game was billed as a no-bearing game on paper, but for those who were in attendance at the Mall of Asia Arena, the second round match-up against FEU was anything but.

After FEU’s loss to Adamson last Sunday, most of the talk that I had was centered on La Salle getting the #1 seed going into the Final Four regardless of the result against the defending champions, the FEU Tamaraws on Saturday.

Whatever avenue of pre-game ritual or superstition you follow: not wearing your “lucky” shirt, buying coffee from a certain brand inside the playing venue, or simply not praying hard enough, the fact of the matter is that DLSU’s streak is over.

On Saturday, the De La Salle Green Archers will look to stay close to within one game of getting the sweep of the elimination round in the on-going UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball tournament.