Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws went all out in knocking over the lead of Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, 49-46, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season 86 men’s basketball tournament earlier today, October 18, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The green-and-gold squad struggled to gain momentum early as the Falcons fired up three consecutive early shots from downtown.

With two timeouts from coach Denok, the Tamaraws still wrestled to make a comeback during the first quarter, 8-21.

Although the lead was extensive, the Tamaraws played one step ahead in chasing the Falcons with Morayta cagers Aeron Bagunu and Jorick Bautista’s three-point markers, respectively.

With 10.2 seconds left on the clock, Bautista deflected Adamson's defense and drove to the hoop ending the first half, 22-27.

During the third quarter, Tamaraws successfully outplayed the Falcons with a 10-7 run cutting down the lead to two, 32-34.

Xyrus Torres’ three-pointer off an assist from Team Captain Ljay Gonzales with 1:11 left in the third putting the Tamaraws in control of the game going into the fourth quarter.

With two minutes left in regulation and a deadlock at 43, Royce Alforque secured the Tamaraws' lead with a two-point turnaround jumper from the freethrow line.

In a post game interview, Head Coach Denok Miranda mentioned that even though the Tams struggled with their defense, to win is a must.

“Kailangan na kailangan namin 'tong game, and then syempre nung first quarter, hirap kami magdepensa. Hands on ako sa mga players ko at grabe 'yun trinabaho talaga nila. (We really needed this game, and then of course in the first quarter, it was difficult for us to defend. I am hands on with my players and they really work at that.)” he said.

Coach Denok also added that the green-and-gold need more push despite their two-consecutive wins.

“Happy ako [sa game] pero 'di pa satisfied kasi nasa process pa din kami, madami pang need matutuhan. Kahit panalo kami, ang dami naming mistakes. Pinag-aaralan pa namin para sa mga suceeding games. Pinag-iisipan namin mga coaches, lalo na ako talaga. (I'm happy [with the game] but I'm not satisfied because we're still in the process, there's still a lot we need to learn. Even if we win, we make a lot of mistakes. We are still studying for the succeeding games. We coaches think about it, especially me),” He added.

LJay Gonzales carried out 13 points, 1 assist and 1 rebound, together with Patrick Sleat’s 10 points and assist.

Royce Alforque also executed eight points in the game with a 100% shooting percentage in free throws in addition to Xyrus Torres’ six points.

The Morayta-based squad will try to boost their 2-4 win-loss record and continue their two-game winning streak against the University of Santo Tomas at the same venue on Sunday, October 22.

-Leiniel A. Santos

(Photo by Zedrich Xylak Madrid/FEU Advocate)