QUEZON CITY—La Salle inflicted Far Eastern U its fourth straight loss with a grinded-out 65-57 win to cap off UAAP Season 81 basketball action Saturday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. 

 

Taking advantage of the absence of FEU slotman Prince Orizu, the Archers banked on the triple-tower gang of Justine Baltazar, Santi Santillan, and Brandon Bates to pull off the win and continue to itsstronghold to third place with a 6-4 record. 

 

The loss, the team’s first four-game slide since Season 69, plunged the Tamaraws down the standings with a 5-6 card. 

 

Trailing 34-35 at the onset of the second half, Arvin Tolentino started the 11-0 FEU run for a 45-35 lead. La Salle then countered with a 10-0 blitz to bring a 48-47 lead into the fourth quarter. 

 

La Salle then clamped down the Morayta dribblers in a six-minute span in a tight fourth-quarter, before Aljun Melecio piled up five points punctuated with a triple for a 62-53 cushion with 1:15 left in the game. 

The Tamaraws failed to recover from there. 

 

Baltazar topscored for the victors with 15 points and six rebounds, Santillan got a double-double with 12 and 14, while Melecio and Kib Montalbo each had seven. 

Bates was also instrumental in the bigman rotation with seven markers and 10 boards. 

 

La Salle likewise put on a premium to its defense, limiting FEU to season-lows in scoring, assists (eight), and free throw shooting (1-for-4). 

 

Tolentino, back after a two-game suspension, was the lone bright spot for FEU with 20 points and 4-of-10 from the three-point area off the bench. 

 

The Scores: 

La Salle 65 – Baltazar 15, Santillan 12, Melecio 7, Montalbo 7, Caracut 7, Bates 7, Dyke 5, Serrano 5, Go 0, Manuel 0.

 

FEU 57 – Tolentino 20, Parker 6, Stockton 6, Escoto 5, Iñigo 5, Ramirez 5, Cani 4, Comboy 3, Eboña 3, Bienes 0, Tuffin 0.

 

Quarters: 14-13, 34-34, 48-47, 65-57.