PCCL: DLSU crushes FEU to keep finals chances alive

Reeling from a tough loss to the SWU Cobras in overtime the day before, the DLSU Green Archers put the clamps on the FEU Tamaraws in the second quarter and cruised to an easy 80-60 in their second PCCL semi-final round matchup. La Salle led by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter as the game turned into a one-sided affair after they outscored FEU by 13 in the second period.

It was a team effort from the Green Archers as the bench players scored 43 points as compared to 21 from their Tamaraw counterparts. Matt Salem came off the bench and led the team in scoring with 17 points. The Green Archers also limited the Tamaraws to just 10 points in the third quarter to force a knockout match with the SBC Red Lions on Thursday.

FEU was without the services of its dynamic duo of UAAP 76 MVP Terrence Romeo and UAAP 73 MVP RR Garcia as both had already been drafted into the PBA. Roger Pogoy led the Tamaraws with 14 points, three rebounds and two blocks and Gryann Mendoza scored 14 points and collected four rebounds. Anthony Hargrove had a double double and finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

FEU was leading by a point, 11-10, with five minutes left in the first quarter, but DLSU used a 10-6 run to close the period and finished on top, 21-16, after 10 minutes of play. In the second, the Green Archers used an 18-9 run to stretch their lead to double digits, 39-25, with four minutes left in the first half. It didn’t stop there as Salem’s three at the buzzer stretched DLSU’s lead to 18, 49-31, at halftime.

Salem made seven of his nine field goals including three triples while he also collected nine rebounds. Jeron Teng made up for his forgettable performance against SWU with 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Almond Vosotros also added 11 points to go with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Robert Bolick was key in the Green Archers’ first half run as he scored 10 points on four of six shooting, all in the opening half.

Up next for the Green Archers is a knockout match with the San Beda Red Lions, whom they settled with for a 74-74 tie last Saturday at Champions for a Cause. The game will be held at the Fil-Oil Arena at 4 pm.