Tamaraws oust Archers, send Bulldogs to F4

Game on Saturday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

3:30 p.m. – FEU vs AdMU (FEU with twice-to-beat)

Game on Sunday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

3:30 p.m. – UST vs NU (UST with twice-to-beat)

MANILA, Philippines - Far Eastern U climbed back from a 15-point deficit to beat La Salle, 71-68, in the process eliminating the Green Archers from the Final Four picture in the UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tourney last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With the victory over DLSU, the Tams gifted idle National U (7-7) with the fourth and last semis berth, sending the Bulldogs into the F4 against No. 1 Santo Tomas.

RR Pogoy knocked down three huge triples in the fourth canto to spark a telling 20-4 blow that swung the momentum over to the Tams’ side and paved the way for their 11th win in 14 games.

The Archers, who bungled their opportunity to salvage the game and the season in the dying seconds, crashed out of the semis with a 6-8 win-loss card. DLSU missed the F4 for the first time since 2011.

“Coming off back-to-back losses (to UST and NU) we want to get momentum going to the Final Four (by winning this game),” said FEU coach Nash Racela.

The No. 2 Tams will immediately play their Final Four duel with third-seeded Ateneo (9-5) on Saturday, hoping to cash in on the twice-to-beat incentive to advance to the championship round.

Playing a virtually non-bearing game, FEU fielded stars Mac Belo and Mike Tolomia sparingly. Belo saw action for just 14 minutes and finished with 10 while Tolomia played for 11 minutes and made two markers. Both sat on the bench the entire fourth.

“We tried to get the win because it’s something we always teach our players, we want them to do their best. But we also have the intention of keeping our players fresh in the event we’ll play on Saturday,” said Racela, who gave lesser-exposed players like Joe Trinidad and the Holmqvist brothers Ken and Steve their time on the floor.

Earlier, University of the East trounced University of the Philippines, 79-67, to bow out on a high note.

The Red Warriors seized control with a 20-10 run in the second quarter and didn’t ease on the pedal en route to finishing their campaign with a 6-8 card. UE ended just a victory short of forging a playoff for the last semis seat.

“We were right on schedule but fell one win short of at least getting a tie for fourth and a playoff,” said UE coach Derrick Pumaren, whose wards settled for sixth overall.