By Dwyane Harry L. Cabrera

Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws fell to the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs’ offensive strides, 63-95, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 women’s basketball tournament earlier tonight, November 12, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Right after the jump ball, FEU was bombarded by the blue-and-gold squad’s offensive run before Joann Nagma tallied the team’s first two points with a jump shot, 2-7.

The green-and-gold squad slowly crawled their way back with Shemaiah Abatayo, Yvette Villanueva, and Amyah Espanol’s timely baskets, but it was still not enough to recover by the end of the first frame, 15-23.

Opening the second quarter, Abatayo tallied a quick triple, followed by a jumpshot from Rea Ong, cutting the margin into three, 20-23.

However, the Lady Tamaraws struggled to contain the Lady Bulldogs’ relentless shooting, trailing by 19 by the end of the first half, 32-51.

Five minutes into the third canto, the Morayta-based squad quickly suffered a 4-14 skid, resulting in a 30-point scoring disadvantage, 36-66.

Villanueva and Espanol contributed two points each, followed by bonus shots from Victoria Pasilang and Villanueva, before the team was limited to only 12 points in the third quarter, 44-73.

In the final minutes of the fourth frame, the Morayta-based squad exhibited a 9-0 run powered by Mj Manguiat’s back-to-back treys, but was eventually deemed insufficient to overcome a 32-point blowout game, 63-95.

Throughout the game, Espanol, Manguiat, and Abatayo powered the Lady Tamaraws' offenses, scoring 13, 10, and 9 points, respectively. 

In a post-game interview with FEU Advocate, head coach Raiza Palmera-Dy expressed her frustration as their plan against the Lady Bulldogs did not work as planned.

"I cannot say na nagawa namin ‘yung game plan namin. I’m frustrated enough during the huddle nung natapos ‘yung game, kasi NU dictated kung ano ‘yung magiging pace nung game… Sinasabi namin, we need to use our strength which is speed pero hindi nangyari (I cannot say that we were able to execute our game plan. I was frustrated during the huddle after the game because NU dictated the pace of the match. We kept saying that we needed to use our strength—which is our speed—but it did not happen),” she added.

She also mentioned their plans for the remaining games as they push for a Final Four spot.

"We have to really play our A-game [in] the next coming games. We have to prepare them mentally and physically, para sa mga games na kailangan talaga naming manalo para mayroon pa kaming chance sa Final Four (for the games that we really need to win to still have a chance in the Final Four)," she stated.

Now holding a 4-7 win-loss record, FEU aims to keep its Final Four hopes alive as they face De La Salle University this Sunday, November 16, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
(Photo courtesy of the UAAP Media Team)