By Gabrielle Amber Bellosillo
Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws staged a comeback against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in a nail-biting overtime, 74-67, during the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 women’s basketball tournament earlier today, October 4, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
Trailing by seven minutes into the first frame, the Lady Tamaraws remained quiet before Victoria Pasilang helped the Morayta-based squad with a two-point score on the board, 2-7.
Guard EJ Lopez provided a much-needed spark for FEU with Amyah Espanol’s consecutive buckets, but the team’s missed defensive attacks led to an 11-point deficit, 9-20.
Trying to keep the game afloat entering the second frame, the green-and-gold squad struggled to keep up even with Espanol and Maxene De La Torre’s consistent buckets from the deep, 26-36.
Despite vigorous efforts from Salvani and Elaine Patio’s consecutive shots, UP maintained the lead at halftime, 28-39.
Cutting further in the third quarter, FEU attempted to chip away at the Fighting Maroon’s lead through Patio and Pasilang’s early buckets; however, the Morayta-based team stayed with a stagnant 11-point difference, 37-48.
Espanol’s free throws and Salvani’s driving layups made significant contributions to keep the game going following Patio’s exit due to an injury, 45-53.
Entering the final frame, the Raiza Palmera-Dy led team mounted an impressive comeback with Espanol, Salvani, and Patio’s assistance in the early going.
Pasilang’s fast crunch time response placed FEU in the lead with a little over a minute remaining, 64-63.
However, the Fighting Maroons’ unanswered offensive play forced a 65-65 deadlock, pushing the game into overtime.
FEU finally gained control four minutes into overtime as Lopez easily knocked down a triple to take a narrow lead, 68-65.
The Morayta-based squad held their ground in the final seconds, securing a shaking win against the Diliman-based squad, 74-67.
In a post game conference, FEU Lady Tamaraws head coach Palmera-Dy emphasized maximizing the team’s strengths as their game plan.
“Maybe we just focused on our strengths against their weaknesses… And then, we have a list of options on offense na kind of we tweaked a little bit coming into this game. So, thankfully, it worked,” she explained.
Moreover, Salvani expressed how they persevered even after trailing double-digit leads from UP in the early stages of the game.
“Ang pangit nu’ng start namin pero we had each other’s back… Hangga’t hindi pa natatapos ‘yung oras, hindi pa nagba-buzz, binigay namin best namin lalo na sa depensa (Our start was bad. But we had each other's back. As long as the time wasn't over yet, the buzz wasn't over yet, we gave our best, especially in defense),” the Lady Tamaraw guard noted.
Salvani was named Player of the Game with 17 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Meanwhile, Patio contributed 16 points, Pasilang with 15 points, followed by Lopez’s 13 points and Espanol’s 11 points.
FEU now sits at a 2-0 win-loss record and will look to continue their streak against Ateneo de Manila University on Saturday, October 10, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
(Photo by Jhanraine Manansala/FEU Advocate)