By Angel Joyce C. Basa

Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraw MJ Manguiat led the team's scoreboard despite a loss against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 64-91, facing their second defeat in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 women’s basketball tourney earlier today, September 14, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Team captain Manguiat scored 26 points with four defensive rebounds, an assist, and a steal with a 50 percent field goal success rate to steer the team's scoring, while three Lady Tams contributed eight points each, namely Shane Salvani, Josee Kaputu, and Victoria Pasilang.

In an interview with FEU Advocate, the Lady Tam credited her teammates’ passes for her big point production.

“Syempre hindi ko naman po magagawa ‘yon nang wala ‘yung pasa ng mga kasama ko, so shoutout din sa kanila, pero bunga rin ‘yon ng pagsusumikap namin (Of course I would not be able to do it without the passes of my teammates, so shoutout to them, but it is also the fruit of our hard work),” she said.

Despite her contributions, the green-and-gold team had a rough start, barely producing any points against the blue-and-gold’s five-point kickoff.

Lady Tam Rea Ong was the first to obtain a point out of a free throw followed by Manguiat and guard Salvani’s three-pointers to end the first quarter, 7-19.

During the second quarter, FEU was able to come close to NU’s point production with the help of Kaputu’s four points from free shots after missing their first game.

In the second half, the Lady Tams produced more markers with Manguiat’s execution of five of her seven three-pointers and Salvani’s five-point clutch in the last quarter. 

Although the team took charge near the end, the Manguiat-led team still fell short of beating the heat of the Lady Bulldogs.

Head coach Raiza Palmera-Dy shared that she advised the team to be confident in their games to compensate for the players’ lack of experience.

“Since inexperienced pa, [may] lack of experience pa ‘yung team na ‘to, you just have to bring your confidence. Lahat ng gameplan namin, [puwede naming ibigay] sa kanila, but again ang pinakaimportante diyan, once they step on the floor, you just have to bring in the confidence (Since the team lacks experience, they just have to bring their confidence. We can give them all of our gameplan, but again, the most important thing to do once they step on the floor is to bring in the confidence),” she stated.

Now with a 0-2 win-loss record, the Morayta-based cagebelles will try to bounce back in their next game against University of the East on Wednesday, September 18, at the same venue.

(Photo by Aleena Louise Abad/FEU Advocate)