By Krizza Gabrielle Tabora
Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws’ four-game winning streak was cut short after falling to the the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, 69-81, during the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament earlier today, October 14, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
During the opening quarter, Jedric Daa immediately drilled a three-pointer to start a scoring surge for the green-and-gold squad.
Capitalizing on the Growling Tigers’ defensive lapses, the Tamaraw cagers took advantage to extend their lead with Kirby Mongcopa delivering a layup, followed by a three-point shot from Cabs Cabonilas and a two-pointer by Luke Felipe, 20-12.
In the second frame, the Tamaraws asserted their dominance through a 13-0 run built on back-to-back three-pointers from Jorick Bautista and Felipe, alongside a jumpshot by Mo Konateh, 32-19.
However, the Morayta-based team’s lead later trimmed down following several points from UST’s Mark Llemit, which Mongcopa quickly answered with a jumpshot and a layup, 39-26.
FEU’s cushion deflated as they struggled to contain UST’s offensive surge in the third quarter, leaving the green-and-gold squad trailing by 10 points, 46-56.
The Tamaraw cagers sought to bounce back as Bautista and Konateh contributed seven points to narrow the gap, but Growling Tiger Collins Akowe immediately responded with markers of his own, 50-57.
During the final frame, both teams went basket-for-basket, with Pasaol leading FEU’s scoring through layups and jumpshots, 64-67.
Despite the Morayta-based squad’s efforts, the España-based team reclaimed control behind several three-pointers from Amiel Acido and Llemit, 69-71.
The Tamaraws ultimately faltered in the clutch, as a late Akowe jumper extinguished FEU’s comeback hopes, 69-81.
In a post-game interview with FEU Advocate, head coach Sean Chambers stressed the impact of Elias Gish’s inability to play due to his wellbeing, resulting in Mongcopa having to make up for his missed playing time.
“I knew it was going to be a big challenge because we’re not going to have the services of Elias today because he’s been sick for the last three days… I knew we were going to have to put a lot of minutes on Kirby Mongcopa. And it was just too many minutes for Kirby today,” he stated.
As they head into the final leg of the first round, the Tamaraw head coach emphasized bouncing back and finding a way to defeat UST.
“That’s our goal to try to get to a 5-2 record. But at the beginning of the year, if somebody said you’re going to beat La Salle, you’re going to beat Ateneo, you’re going to beat UP for the first time in eight years, everybody in FEU will go, yeah, we’ll sign up for that. But we just have to find a way to beat UST,” Chambers expressed.
Konateh led the scoring for the green-and-gold squad with 18 points, three assists, and three blocks, followed by Bautista and Mongcopa with 14 and 12 markers, respectively.
The Tamaraws will seek to end round one on a high note as they face National University on Sunday, October 18, at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
(Photo by Rian Balagtas/FEU Advocate)