Quantcast
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 3532

FEU bounces back, edges Ateneo to stay in Final Four hunt 

MANILA, Philippines – With their Final Four hopes hanging in the balance, the FEU Tamaraws made sure to get the job done this time around.

After suffering a heartbreaking loss to the league-leading La Salle Green Archers just three days ago, the Tamaraws scored a quick bounce-back win after holding off the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 65-54, in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, November 9.

Rookie point guard Janrey Pasaol rose to the occasion and turned in his finest performance for the Tamaraws with career-highs of 14 points and 6 assists, to go with 7 rebounds and 2 steals. 

Rojan Montemayor also stepped up big with 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from long distance, while foreign student-athlete Mo Konateh collected yet another monster double-double of 11 points and 21 rebounds for the Tamaraws.

With the all-important victory, FEU kept its playoff chances alive as it moved up to solo fifth spot with a 5-8 record, while pushing Ateneo to the brink of elimination with a 3-9 card. 

“I’m so proud of these guys. Last game, I’ve been pretty tough on them in practice… and their response have been amazing,” said FEU head coach Sean Chambers.

“They are just so good kids, they are disciplined, and they want to win,” he added.

After leading by only a single point in the early goings of the second half, 35-34, FEU unleashed a fiery 11-2 run to build its first double-digit advantage of the game, 46-36, off a triple by Pasaol at the 5:20 mark of the third quarter. 

With the Tamaraws still enjoying a comfortable 59-45 edge midway through the fourth frame, it was the Blue Eagles’ turn to come up with their own furious rally to pull within just seven points, 52-59, with under five minutes to go. 

The Blue Eagles had a golden opportunity to inch closer to just four points with less than two minutes left, but Sean Quitevis failed to hit on a wide-open corner trey. 

Jared Bahay then had another chance to make it a two-possession game, but the Ateneo rookie missed on his own three-point attempt from the top as FEU sealed the double-digit win. 

Ian Espinosa was the lone bright spot for Ateneo with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 6 assists. 

Bahay backstopped his fellow point guard Espinosa in their third straight loss with 9 points, while Kristian Porter added 8 markers for the Blue Eagles, who suffered a season-sweep at the hands of the Tamaraws for the second year in a row. 

A win by the UST Growling Tigers against the UE Red Warriors later on Saturday will officially eliminate Ateneo from playoff contention. The Blue Eagles last missed the Final Four way back in Season 76 in 2013.

The Scores

FEU 65 – Pasaol 14, Montemayor 13, Konateh 11, Bautista 8, Alforque 8, Pre 5, Daa 4, Bagunu 2, Nakai 0, Ona 0.

Ateneo 54 – Espinosa 14, Bahay 9, Porter 8, Ong 7, Koon 5, Lazaro 4, Tuano 4, Quitevis 3, Bongo 0, Balogun 0, Espina 0, Edu 0, Gamber 0.

Quarters: 20-16, 33-29, 54-42, 65-54.

– Rappler.com


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 3532

Trending Articles



<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>