UAAP: FEU climbs to solo No. 4, drops La Salle to fifth

ANTIPOLO CITY—Far Eastern University repeated over La Salle, 81-60, and claimed solo fourth in the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball tournament Saturday at Ynares Center here.

The Tamaraws got a bit of a breather as the elimination round enters its home stretch, getting a half a game advantage with a 6-6 record as the Green Archers fell to a 5-6 card and out of the top four.

Bouncing back from their 65-55 loss to Ateneo in their previous game, the Tamaraws looked to have more spring in their step, going to work immediately and taking a 27-11 lead in the first.

The Tamaraws would never relinquish the lead as they held La Salle to a poor 23-of-71 shooting while converting on 33 of their 61 attempts from the field.

“I was impressed with our offense and more than that I was happy with our defense,” said FEU head coach Olsen Racela, whose team also beat the Green Archers, 66-55, in the first round.

Ken Tuffin gave the Tamaraws a whopping 22-point lead, 74-52, midway through the fourth.

LJ Gonzales stuffed the stat sheets for FEU with 14 points, six rebounds, and seven assists with two steals to boot.

Tuffin also finished with 14 points for the Tamaraws while Wendell Comboy added 12 points and seven boards.

Justine Baltazar had 16 points and nine boards for the Green Archers.