By Vince Matthew Jaramilla

Continuing their campaigns, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws and Lady Tamaraws claimed a 21-20 win and a 16-22 loss, respectively, against University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 3x3 basketball tournaments earlier today, April 29, at Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City.

In the men’s match, FEU and UP showcased a battle of athleticism against size, with the former driving inside to get buckets and the latter forcing their way inside through the post.

The Tamaraws were able to keep up for the most part, but Fighting Maroons Sean Alter and Gani Stevens gave the edge toward their side to get a game-high four-point advantage, 11-15.

In the final minute, the Diliman squad was the first to be at the brink of match point, 18-20. Fortunately, Morayta’s Janrey Pasaol played hero as he drew fouls and knocked down three key shots at the charity stripe.

Pasaol’s efforts did not go unseen in the box score, leading both teams in scoring with 14 points coupled up with four steals.

For their women’s counterparts, it was Shane Salvani who spearheaded the offense with nine markers on three of FEU’s six two-pointers. 

The green-and-gold cagebelles’ perimeter-oriented offense carried them to stay close with the maroon squad for the first eight minutes of the match, 14-16. However, a 2-8 slump fell over the Lady Tamaraws, with UP taking their turn to shoot lights out to end the game.

In a post-game interview with FEU Advocate, Morayta-based forward Yvette Villanueva stated their need to work on their lapses to have better results in the next games.

“At the end of the day, kailangan pa rin next game, bumawi kami kasi andami din naming lapses ngayon pero chin up pa rin kasi ginawa din naman namin ‘yung best namin ngayong araw… Lesson learned (At the end of the day, we need to bounce back in the next game because we have a lot of lapses today but we still have our chins up because we also did our best… Lesson learned),” she said.

The rookie specifically highlighted decision-making and fast-paced play as the areas to develop.

“Kanina, kapos kami sa decision-making. Siguro, mas aim pa namin [i-improve ‘yung] decision-making. And [dapat] hindi kami ‘yung tumitigil—dapat tuloy-tuloy, mabilis kasi 3x3 (Earlier, we lacked in decision-making. Maybe, we need to aim more to improve our decision-making. We also shouldn’t stop as we play—it should be continuous and fast because it’s 3x3),” Villanueva added.

Both with 2-1 win-loss records, the Tamaraws and Lady Tamaraws currently stand at the third and fourth places of their respective decisions. They will next face the University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle University squads on Thursday, May 1, at the same venue.

(Photo courtesy of the UAAP Media Team)