Baltazar, Melecio lead La Salle to victory over UE

The DLSU Green Archers buried the UE Red Warriors early in the game to earn an 82-72 victory on Sunday in the UAAP Men’s Basketball competition.

Justine Baltazar and Aljun Melecio had 16 points apiece, with the big man Baltazar also accounting for 14 rebounds. Melecio, meanwhile, hit a high 5 of 7 clip from deep. DLSU’s Encho Serrano was efficient with 11 points in 13 minutes, while Jollo Go added 10.

DLSU grabbed the lead halfway through the first period, before stretching it to a double-digit lead at the half. UE struggled to chip away at the lead in the fourth, barely managing to trim a 20-point third quarter lead to 10 before running out of time.

Alvin Pasaol had 22 points, with 17 coming in the fourth period, but it was not enough to erase La Salle’s large advantage. Jason Varilla and Philip Manalang chipped in 14 and 11 points apiece.

With the win, DLSU improved to 2-1 to tie FEU at third, while UE dropped to 0-3 for last place. — DVM, GMA News