THE CEBUANO pair of Roger Pogoy and Monbert Arong stepped up to put an end to La Salle’s season as the Far Eastern University Tamaraws erased a 12-point fourth period deficit to best the Green Archers, 71-68, at the end of the elimination round of the 78th UAAP men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
According to Pogoy, a former stalwart of the University of Cebu, they were happy to take the victory even though it was inconsequential to them.
The 6-foot-2 forward from Talisay City even confessed to Cebu Daily News that head coach Nash Racela already informed him and the other starters that they wouldn’t see much of the floor against La Salle as he wanted them to be fresh for their Final Four match-up against Ateneo.
“Coach really didn’t care if we won or lost. He just wanted us to focus on the Final Four,” bared Pogoy, who scored all 11 of his points in a searing 20-4 run that obliterated a 45-57 deficit.
Arong, a champion with the Southwestern University Cobras in the Cesafi back in 2012, also played a key role as he converted crucial points down the stretch including two free-throws that gave FEU a 69-66 lead with just seconds remaining in the game.