FilOil: Garcia, Romeo combine for 48 as Tams overwhelm Chiefs

The Far Eastern University Tamaraws cruised to another victory as they disposed of the Arellano University Chiefs with ease, 79-64, Wednesday to improve to 5-1 in the FilOil Flying V Pre-season Tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.   The Tams never looked back after a 7-0 start as the FEU backcourt proved to be too strong for the Chiefs.  Halfway through the first period, Terrence Romeo went on a personal 6-0 spurt, shooting a step back three and getting three more points from the free throw line as FEU posted a 17-7 lead. Mark Belo added two more free throws while Romeo split from the line as the first quarter ended with the Tams up 21-7. In the second period, Arellano tried to stage a comeback as Prince Caperal challenged Russel Escoto in the paint, while Nard Pinto and Isiah Ciriacruz chipped in six to bring the lead down to eight, 25-17. The Tams, however, countered as a team, with Anthony Hargrove, Belo, and RR Garcia pushing the tempo for easy baskets to give FEU a 14-point lead at the half, 33-19. Garcia continued to pour it on in the third, as he scored five straight to open up the period. Ciriacruz tried to keep Arellano afloat, as he scored two three pointers of his own, but FEU had too many offensive options as Romeo, Hargrove, and Roger Pogoy kept the their lead at double-digits heading to the final period, 54-41. In the fourth, FEU looked to finish off their opponents early, as the Tams detonated a 13-2 run early on. In response, the Generals tried to stage one last comeback, stringing seven points together to bring the lead down to 12, 69-57. After a timeout, the Tams quelled the uprising as Romeo and Garcia combined for eight quick points to bring the lead back up to 20. Ciriacruz hit a three with 1:21 remaining, but the lead proved to be too large for Arellano to conquer. RR Garcia, a former UAAP MVP, led all scorers, punching in 25 points in 27 minutes, on 10-of-15 field goal shooting. He also added two rebounds, two assists and two steals. His partner, Terrence Romeo, poured in 23 points, plus four assists, while Anthony Hargrove narrowly missed a double-double with 11 markers and nine boards. Isiah Ciriacruz led the Chiefs with 18 points, converting 7-of-11 attempts. Fil-Canadian AJ Serjue chimed in 15 points, four assists and three swipes, but turned the ball over a team-high six times. Helping the Tamaraws in their cause was a bout of sharp outside shooting, as they converted half of their 14 triple tries. The Chiefs on the other hand, were a mere 4-of-12 from outside the arc. At 5-1, FEU has all but clinched the second seed in Group B, behind National University's perfect record. Arellano on the other hand, sank to 2-4. The scores: FEU 79 - Garcia 25, Romeo 23, Hargrove 11, Tolomia 8, Belo 6, Pogoy 2, Mendoza 2, Cruz 2, Escoto 0, Jumao-as 0, Huevos 0, Inigo 0 AU 64 - Ciriacruz 18, Serjue 15, Caperal 10, Acidre 9, Hernandez 8, Cadavis 2, Pinto 2, Salcedo 0, Malanday 0, Lunas 0, Bangga 0, Palma 0, Casino 0 Quarter scoring: 21-7, 33-19, 54-41, 79-64 FilOil 052312 FEU vs AU