MANILA, Philippines – De La Salle beat Far Eastern University for the first time this season and it couldn’t have come at a better time with the Green Archers facing elimination Saturday.
Jeron Teng redeemed himself from a subpar outing last Sunday with 25 points as the Green Archers came away with a 94-73 rout of the second-seeded Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“We were just grateful for the opportunity to play and just make the most out of this game,” said DLSU head coach Juno Sauler. “I just wanted them to play consistently in all four quarters.”
“I just really had to bounce back and we have to give it to the seniors and we thought it’s too early to end their UAAP careers. We wanted to play more games,” said Teng, who fired 11 points in the third quarter, where the Archers ran away.
Forward Mac Belo was the lone bright spot for the Tamaraws as he scored a game-high 32 points in 29 minutes.
“We have to solve Belo for Wednesday,” said Sauler.
Mike Tolomia, who had 19 points the last time the two teams met, scored just seven points and shot only 2-of-14 from the field. The FEU guard played 32 minutes and was scoreless in the second half.
Both do-or-die games will be on Wednesday with Ateneo taking on National University at 2 p.m. while La Salle and FEU clash at 6 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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