Lions gore Tigers; Tams, Archers prevail
Flashing its depth, San Beda had 18 players scoring as it blasted University of Santo Tomas, 86-59, last Sunday to stay unbeaten, while Far Eastern U bounced back from a stunning defeat in the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup.
Getting a huge lift from Justin Baltazar and Aljun Melecio in the endgame, La Salle also prevailed over University of the East, 77-71, for its fourth win in six games at Filoil Flying V Arena
With Arvin Tolentino finding his groove early, the Tamaraws responded to their loss to University of the Philippines with a 72-53 tripping of Adamson.
Aside from grabbing 10 rebounds, Tolentino, a transferee from Ateneo, finished with 22 points, including 17 in the first half where he nearly outscored the entire Adamson team, which struggled mightily from the field.
The Tamaraws opened up a 24-point lead following a Wendell Comboy triple at the 5:25 mark of the fourth period.
“It isn’t everyday you are going to shoot that way, but I will take it,” said Tamaraws coach Olsen Racela, whose team routed the Falcons off the boards, 52-34.
All the players fielded in by coach Boyet Fernandez scored for the Red Lions, who exploded for 44 points in the first half en route to their fifth straight victory.
The Lions showed sharped form in blowing out the toothless Tigers, who absorbed their sixth loss in seven games in the preseason tournament.
“We gave everybody a chance to play today and all our players played well,” Fernandez said. “It was a character test for us today. The starters dictated the tempo and everybody followed the starters.”
Javee Mocon turned out to be the best scorer for San Beda with nine points. But it hardly mattered as the Lions led by as many as 83-55 in the final period.
The Archers held the Warriors scoreless in the last three minutes to complete the comeback from 69-71 down. Melecio hit the go-ahead triple, before Baltazar put the finishing touches in the victory.
“We didn’t play our game and there are also players who didn’t play their game so our depth was really tested today,” said La Salle coach Aldin Ayo.
