Archers waylay Warriors for share of 3rd spot
DE La Salle University gained a share of the third spot after a 7959 thrashing of University of the East (UE) in Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
momentum of a searing start to foil the Red Warriors’ run in the third quarter en route to an improved record of 5-3. The win boosted La Salle’s Final Four bid and allow it to join Far Eastern University at No. 3.
told them that the way the standings look now, every win counts,” said La Salle’s head 78 overtime win over erstwhile leading Adamson University.
“After the Adamson game, this is what I need from them—to get back their con-
showed that today,” he added. a career-high 18 points via an on top of six rebounds, two assists and two steals in just 17 minutes of play off the bench. He notched half of his points in the third quarter wherein La Salle pulled away with a substantial lead.
Veteran playmaker Andrei Caracut posted a seasonhigh 16 points and six rebounds while big men Justine Baltazar and Santi Santillan added 13 and 12 markers, respectively, on top of a combined 14 boards.
La Salle has just matched its season- best stats in bench points ( 40) and steals ( nine), as it secured its second win in a row.
The Archers erected a massive lead, 44-28, midway the second period behind Kib Montalbo’s three-point play off a coast-to-coast layup and Aljun Melecio’s booming trey from the right wing.
But Alvin Pasaol sparked an 18-5 spurt bridging the middle periods that narrowed the gap, 46-49.
La Salle retaliated with its own 13-2 blast capped by Serrano’s tip-in off his own miss at the third quarter buzzer, reclaiming the lead, 66-49.
The Archers sustained their aggression beefing up their lead to as much as 22 points en route to victory.
Third- year forward Alvin Pasaol’s double-double of 22 points and 17 rebounds went for naught as the cellar-dwelling UE absorbed its third straight loss for a 1-7 overall record.
The Red Warriors remained winless against the Archers for three years.
THE SCORES: LA SALLE (79)–
Serrano 18, Caracut 16, Santillan 13, Baltazar 12, Melecio 8, Montalbo 3, Manuel 3, Bates 2, Dyke 2,
UE (59)–
Pasaol 22, Conner 12, Varilla 7, Bartolome 6, Cullar 3, Antiporda 3, Manalang 2, Acuno 2, So-