Veteran guards Royce Alforque and Jorick Bautista led the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws to triumph over the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 65-58, for their second straight victory in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men's basketball tournament earlier today, October 16, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Both team captains played tremendously at the end of the 21-10 fourth quarter, combining for seven points en route to the win.

In the post-game press conference, Bautista expressed relief for their hard work resulting in wins.

“Sobrang saya, ‘yung mga hard work namin kung paano namin pinu-push ‘yung isa’t isa sa training na ginagawa namin, paunti-unti nang nagbubunga at saka sobrang sarap talaga sa feeling na makuha ‘yung panalo (Super happy, because all of our hard work, where we push each other is finally coming to fruition, and it feels good to get the win),” he said.

The first frame was a struggle for the green-and-gold as they were down by as much as six after quick buckets in the paint from the blue-and-gold, 5-11.

Regardless of the Bulldogs’ defense, the Tamaraws rallied a five-point swing at the end of the first to cut the lead to two, 10-12.

Going into the second frame, it started off fast for the Tamaraws after a midrange jumper from Bautista to tie the game, 12-12.

FEU successfully caught up with NU after rookie Veejay Pre put up a floater to snag the lead, 18-17.

Near the end of the half, the green-and-gold squad continued their offensive output after a fastbreak trey from Bautista and a layup from foreign student-athlete (FSA) Mohamed Konateh, 29-24.

Despite the momentum swinging to the Morayta-based cagers in the first half, the blue-and-gold started strong in the third quarter, quickly tying the game at the 7:30 mark, 33-33.

The Tamaraws could not contain the Bulldogs' fast-paced play. Still, Konateh proceeded to showcase his ability on the charity stripe, successfully stopping the bleeding to cut the lead to four at the end of the third, 44-48.

In the fourth quarter, rookie Pre sank another floater to cut the lead by two and have a quick start, 46-48.

The Morayta-based squad continued to show grit on defense, as the Jhocson-based squad remained struggling on offense.

FEU’s defensive intensity led to a shot clock buzzer-beater three from Bautista, helping them regain the lead at the 6:57 mark, 53-52.

However, NU did not back down from the barrage of buckets from FEU as they quickly cut the lead to one, 57-56.

Going into crunch time, Alforque was quick to put the nail in the coffin after his clutch lay at the two-minute mark, giving the Tamaraws a three-point cushion, 59-56.

Guard Alforque shared his mindset in stopping the Bulldogs from a late comeback.

“Siguro instinct na lang kasi si Jorick dine-deny talaga, eh, sa akin napupunta ‘yung bola so talaga nag-isip nalang ako ng paraan kasi tumatakbo ‘yung NU, so kailangan namin i-stop ‘yung momentum nila (It may be instincts, since Jorick was getting denied, the ball was coming to my hands. I just thought of ways on how we can counter the fast-paced play by NU),” he said.

With 10 seconds left in the game, Bautista exhibited another heroic play once again by sinking the game-deciding triple, 64-58.

To cap off the game, Pre made one free throw, giving FEU a seven-point win, 65-58.

The team captains both posted up solid statlines with Bautista putting up 17 points and four rebounds, while Alforque put up nine points, seven rebounds, and two assists.

FSA Konateh also contributed greatly to the win as he put up 22 points alongside his 13 boards.

The green-and-gold squad now looks to continue their win streak against the University of Santo Tomas on October 27 at the same venue.

- Marcus Isaac D.G Bandong
(Photo by Karch Rafael/FEU Advocate)