PCCL: All tied up - DLSU Green Archers shoot down FEU Tamaraws to forge four-way deadlock

(Updated 6:03pm) The De La Salle University Green Archers flattened the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 80-60, in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League Final Four, Tuesday, at the FilOil Flying V Arena.

DLSU led by as much as 29 points in the rout. Both teams, together with the SWU Cobras and SBC Red Lions, are 1-1 in the single round-robin series. The Archers play the Red Lions on Thursday while the Tams will square off against the Cobras. The winners of the two respective matches will improve to 2-1 and earn a place in the national finals.

Matt Salem came off the bench to propel La Salle with 17 points and nine rebounds, making 3-of-4 of his baskets from the arc. Jeron Teng and Almond Vosotros notched 13 and 11 points respectively, and combined for 10 rebounds and nine assists. Robert Bolick poured in 10 points, including eight in a crucial second quarter stretch that allowed DLSU to break away from the Tamaraws for good.

Archers head coach Juno Sauler pointed to rotating his players better today than in yesterday's loss to the SWU Cobras as a key reason for their win. "Everyone was out of shape. The game went into overtime and that's where we lost it," he said. In this match, no Archer played more than 30 minutes today, with everyone except Luigi Dela Paz getting at least 10 minutes of burn.

Arnold Van Opstal played limited minutes today, scoring two points and getting six rebounds after being held out of action yesterday against SWU. However, Sauler said that Van Opstal seemed to have re-injured himself today and is uncertain to play on Thursday.

"Arnold's our main center. After Norbert [Torres] sits down it's just Jason [Perkins] and Matt [Salem] left, and we give up too much height to the opponent," he said. Van Opstal will be key in slowing down San Beda's Ola Adeogun on Thursday, after the Nigerian posted 22 points and 11 rebounds against the Cobras earlier this afternoon.

FEU blasted off to a 11-5 start, bolstered by three-pointers from Gryann Mendoza and Carl Cruz, 11-5. The Archers called time out then settled into their rhythm. Jeron Teng and Matt Salem linked up to kickstart a 13-0 rally, 18-11, capped by Robert Bolick's transition basket with three minutes to play. The Tamaraws had chances to narrow the lead on the break but couldn't capitalize, though Roger Pogoy scored their last five to trail 21-16 at the end of the first quarter.

The Archers extended the lead to double digits early in the fourth, 26-16, as Oda Tampus split his charities after getting fouled in transition. The Tamaraws had some success establishing a presence in the lane, but had difficulty staying on DLSU's shooters. Salem connected from downtown, while Bolick scored eight straight points, including two three-pointers, to push their lead to 39-25. FEU would get no closer than 12 points before halftime, and trailed 49-31 at the break.


The Tamaraws couldn't generate any momentum on offense, settling for quick shots with poor to little ball movement. The Archers though kept rolling, posting a 10-2 run in the last five minutes to establish a 67-41 lead heading into the fourth.

In the final period, FEU made a push to end the game with a more presentable tally. Pogoy scored nine of their first 14 points to trim the deficit, 73-55. But Luigi Dela Paz put out the fire with a corner trey, 76-55, which helped ensure the Tamaraws could come no closer with four minutes left.

Roger Pogoy and Gryann Mendoza registered 14 points each for the Tamaraws and combined for 6-of-13 from three-point distance. Anthony Hargrove tallied a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

DLSU 80 - Salem 17, Teng 13, Vosotros 11, Bollick 10, N. Torres 6, Tampus 5, Perkins 4, Reyes 4, T. Torres 3, Dela Paz 3, Montalbo 2, Van Opstal 2

FEU 60 - Pogoy 14, Mendoza 14, Hargrove 12, Jose 7, Cruz 6, Tolomia 4, Luz 2, Aguilon 1, Lee Yu 0, Inigo 0, Dennison 0, Delfinado 0, Sentcheu 0

Quarter scoring: 21-16, 49-31, 67-41, 80-60