FEU falters in late-game push vs UST

FEU Advocate
October 05, 2024 15:08


By Andrei M. Barrantes

Comeback hopes were unfruitful for the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws as they suffered a 57-66 purge from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigresses in their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 women’s basketball tourney first round closer today, October 5, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. 

The Morayta-based squad endured early dominance from the Tigresses, who leveraged their height and low-post scoring. FEU ended the second quarter 24-37.

After halftime, Lady Tams backcourt duo Shane Salvani and MJ Manguiat led a late push for FEU, cutting the lead to seven. 

The green-and-gold squad also pushed the defending champions into foul penalty, heading into the fourth quarter 43-48.

Despite momentum being on their side, FEU suffered a 0-8 run by UST, stretching the lead to 43-56 within the first two minutes. 

While the Morayta cagers showed signs of life and went on another run to cut the lead to three with 3:36 left, UST responded with a 10-4 run steered by their captain Kent Pastrana, who put the finishing touches to her 22 points in their sixth win.

Salvani logged a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while Manguiat chipped in 11 markers, including three triples.

FEU shot 28.4 percent from the field, their second-lowest this season.

On the sidelines, Lady Tams head coach Raiza Palmera-Dy faced off against her former coach Haydee Ong and former teammate Allana Lim for the first time. They represented the Philippines in 2009 for then-Perlas Pilipinas, while Coach Raiza and Coach Allana both suited up for Perlas and FEU.

In a post-game interview, Coach Raiza relished the experience of matching up with them as tacticians rather than players.

“Syempre, marami akong natutuhan. Nilu-look forward ko itong game against UST… It’s a good experience for us. We learned a lot from this game,” she said.

Coach Raiza and the Lady Tams concluded their first-round campaign with a 1-6 win-loss record, currently ranking eighth in the standings.

(Photo by Aleena Louise Abad/FEU Advocate)