By Krizza Gabrielle Tabora

Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws faltered against Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) Blue Eagles in a nail-biting season opener, 83-86, in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament earlier today, September 20, at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.

Jorick Bautista delivered FEU’s first points, 2-1, with Miguel Ona and Jedric Daa attempting to expand the lead and keep AdMU trailing, 6-4.

The Tamaraws tried to stretch their advantage against the Blue Eagles with six consecutive points courtesy of Luke Felipe and Janrey Pasaol, as well as an assist from Daa that eventually ended the first quarter with a deadlock, 22-22. 

The second quarter started slow for the green-and-gold squad, as the Blue Eagles tightened their offense and pulled ahead with a six-point lead, 24-30.

Still, the green-and-gold squad continued to struggle against the blue-and-white team’s defense, leaving them to trail, 34-40, at halftime.

The Tamaraws stayed resilient, with Pasaol and Bautista combining for back-to-back baskets that trimmed the gap to four, 41-45.

Bautista attempted to bring the Morayta-based squad back on track with a triple, only for Ateneo’s Andrew Bongo to respond with his own, 45-47. 

Despite the efforts of the Sean Chambers-led squad, a three-pointer from AdMU’s Joaqui Espina widened the gap by six points to end the third quarter, 55-61.

To cut the margin for the Tamaraw cagers, Pasaol produced back-to-back two-point jumpers, 61-65.

With only three seconds left in the fourth frame, Bautista nailed an fadeaway jumper near the right elbow to tie the game, forcing the match into overtime, 74-74.

During the extension, Pasaol, Bautista, and Mongcopa chipped in two points each, building FEU’s lead to six, 80-74.

However, blue-and-white guard Jared Bahay answered with back-to-back triples to tie the game right back up, 80-80.

It was not long until the Tamaraws quickly lost their momentum as Blue Eagle Ladi scored five straight points for the Katipunan-based squad, 80-85.

Bautista answered with a three-pointer with seven seconds left, trimming the margin to two, 83-85.

Unfortunately, the Morayta-based squad’s efforts ultimately fell short, as Ateneo’s Ladi and Bahay’s defenses led to FEU falling just three points from clinching their first win of the season, 83-86. 

This is the Tamaraws’ first loss against the Blue Eagles in the UAAP since Season 85. 

During the post-game conference, head coach Sean Chambers stressed the need to sharpen their offense for their next matches.

”I feel like we just had one of our young moments down the stretch with that game. I have to do a better job and make sure we clean up our offenses for our next game,” he mentioned.

Pasaol and Bautista led the team’s scoring with 24 points apiece, while Konateh bolstered a double-double of 11 markers and 23 rebounds. 

Starting off with a 0-1 win-loss record, the FEU Tamaraws will attempt to snag their first win in their next game against National University on September 27 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

(Photo by Ma. Louela Luna/FEU Advocate)