Archers dump Warriors behind 3rd quarter surge
PASAY—La Salle spewed fire in the third quarter to make mincemeat of Univeristy of the East, 79-59, for a share of third place in second round action of UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Mall Of Asia Arena.
With Encho Serrano and Andrei Caracut conniving, the Green Archers thus tasted a share of third place with Far Eastern U with a 5-3 win-loss record.
The Red Warriors, meanwhile, still languished in the bottom of the standings at 1-7.
After a 47-36 halftime lead, the Taft dribblers sizzled at the turn instigated by Serrano and Caracut for 15 of the team’s 19 third-quarter points for a 66-49 bubble.
The team also limited the Warriors to only 17 second-half points.
Serrano fashioned out a career-high 18 points, nine coming in the third, on 8-of-13 shooting. He also had six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Caracut added 16 markers with six boards, while Santi Santillan and Justine Baltazar followed suit with 13 and 12, respectively for the Archers.
La Salle produced 40 bench points while also stealing nine times, matching season-highs.
“Going to this game, I told them sa ngayon with the situation right now sa standings, every win counts. Good thing these two (Serrano and Caracut) showed up today,” said La Salle head coach Louie Gonzales.
Alvin Pasaol continued his scoring binge against La Salle, but his 22 points and 17 rebounds are not enough for UE. Christopher Conner was the other double-figure scorer with 12.
The Scores:
La Salle 79 – Serrano 18, Caracut 16, Santillan 13, Baltazar 12, Melecio 8, Montalbo 3, Manuel 3, Bates 2, Dyke 2, Corteza 2, Go 0, Capacio 0.
UE 59 – Pasaol 22, Conner 12, Varilla 7, Bartolome 6, Cullar 3, Antiporda 3, Manalang 2, Acuno 2, Sobrevega 2, Guion 0, Gagate 0, Beltran 0, Lacap 0, Strait 0.
Quarter Scores: 21-16; 47-36; 66-49; 79-59.
