Archers book Finals ticket, squeaking past Tams

And the streak continues. Jeron Teng nailed four free throws and the De La Salle University made the defensive stops in the last three minutes to squeak past Far Eastern University, 71-68, and book their first trip to the Finals in five years. The Archers kept their streak alive, recording their ninth straight win, sweeping the second round of eliminations and the Tamaraws, whose hot start in the first round seemed a distant memory. La Salle had to claw back a double-digit lead built by FEU in the first three quarters of the game, when misfortune befell on the pre-season favorites. Gryann Mendoza who played impressive minutes that paced the Tamaraws’ offense fouled out late in the third quarter, while Carl Cruz likewise left the game early after committing his fifth foul in the early minutes of the fourth. MVP Terrence Romeo couldn’t find the rim to bail out the Tamaraws, as well as hotshot guard RR Garcia. Teng, steely guard LA Revilla and bruiser Norbert Torres lifted the Archers, who will face the winner of the NU-UST win-or-go-home game on Saturday. MM