By Dwyane Harry L. Cabrera

Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws took out the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) Blue Eagles, 75-68, to open the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tourney earlier today, October 22, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Kirby Mongcopa and Jorick Bautista banked on a strong start, dropping five points apiece in the first three minutes of the opening frame, 10-9.

Slowly losing the lead, it was not long until the Morayta-based squad trimmed the deficit to three by the end of the first quarter, 17-20.

Four minutes into the second quarter, the Sean Chambers-led cagers pushed the pace and ran the floor with ease, tallying an 11-2 blitz to take a commanding 29-23 advantage.

The Tamaraws endured the Eagles’ 3-10 run but answered with a 5-2 play to reclaim the lead. However, Kymani Ladi’s basket tied the game at 37-all by the end of the halftime.

A few minutes into the third frame, the green-and-gold squad traded baskets with the blue-and-white cagers, leading to a 43-43 deadlock.

After trailing by five, Mo Konateh took matters into his own hands, registering an 8-0 solo run in the paint to end the third canto with a one-point advantage, 55-54.

After a quick two from Mongcopa to start the final quarter, momentum shifted to the Katipunan side. FEU was unable to fend off the Eagles’ relentless offensive surge, 57-60.

The Tamaraws then slowly regained their composure to tie the game at 67-all, courtesy of Janrey Pasaol and Luke Felipe’s two points each.

Bautista turned the tide, firing up double treys at the one-minute-and-19-second mark, followed by Konateh’s freebies that secured the game, 75-68.

In the post-game conference, Coach Sean commended his backcourt shooters for continuing to live up to his vision of being the greatest.

“I envisioned Jorick and [Janrey] to be the best [guards] in the league…  I just put them on the court… put them to places where they can play,” he mentioned.

Bautista then expressed his gratitude to his teammates that helped him be open while he fired his shots. 

“Credit lang sa mga teammates ko kasi kung hindi dahil sa kanila, hindi mangyayari ‘yung mga sitwasyon na nakukuha ko. It was a team effort, it’s not me lang (Credit on my teammates, I will not be in that situation without them. It was a team effort, not just me),” the guard added. 

Leading the scoring department was Bautista, who chipped in 20 markers, followed by Mongcopa’s 16 points. 

Meanwhile, Konateh and Pasaol registered impressive double-doubles, each posting 15 markers with 17 boards and 13 assists, respectively.

FEU now sits at a 3-5 win-loss record and will look to build their momentum against University of the Philippines this Sunday, October 26, at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City.

(Photo by Thea Danielle Morin/FEU Advocate)