By Angel Joyce C. Basa

Lady Tamaraw Shemaiah Abatayo commandeered Far Eastern University (FEU) to a win against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 94-66, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women's basketball tourney earlier tonight, October 12, at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.

The Filipino-Canadian point guard yielded 25 points, three assists, three rebounds, and a steal to break UP’s defenses and equalize the team's win-loss record to 2-2.

In the post-game conference, Abatayo credited her career-high performance to the trust she receives from the coaches and her teammates.

“It all comes down to like the trust that the coaching staff have for me and like the teammates, like even my teammates—like I was starting to lose confidence, but throughout the practice this week, they have all just been telling me keep shooting the ball,” she shared.

One minute into the first quarter, the green-and-gold cagebelles composed an early dominance by scoring the first five points, 5-0. Lady Tamaraws Amyah Espanol’s and Max Dela Torre’s threes then came in handy for the team for a 29-21 quarter finish.

Abatayo added on to her offensive game throughout the second quarter to establish a ten-point advantage, 35-25. The point guard carried on the momentum with a three-pointer to extend the lead to 11 points, 38-27.

With one minute left in the second canto, Abatayo scored back-to-back treys to finish the first half strong, 49-31.

The second half continued to favor the Morayta-based squad as Abatayo and Espanol carried on with strong performances, ending the game with a 28-point blowout dub, 94-66.

Espanol added a 19-point boost with nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Shane Salvani chipped in another 13 markers, five boards, and six steals to the winning squad.

After a strong win, FEU head coach Raiza Palmera-Dy continues to establish the team's growth to maximize their full potential.

“Nakikita ko talaga ‘yung potential ng team na ‘to and ‘yon, I think napakita namin [‘yun] in today's game. But again, we will not stop, we will continue growing. Sabi ko nga in my message sa kanila last game nung natalo kami against Adamson, ‘we will grow together as a family’ (I see the potential in this team, and I think we were able to show that in today's game. But again, we will not stop, we will continue growing. As I said in my message for them during our last game where we lost to Adamson, ‘we will grow together as a family’),” she said. 

With an even win-loss record and solo fourth ranking, the Lady Tamaraws are set to face the top-seeded UST team on Wednesday, October 15, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

(Photo by James Neil Tamayo/FEU Advocate)