Tamaraws end up No. 3 as Bulldogs rip Tigers
MANILA—Far Eastern University leaned on its topnotch guards anew in the second half as the Tamaraws squeezed past the La Salle Archers, 66-57, to clinch the No. 3 spot on the final day of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament eliminations Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Reigning MVP RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo, last year’s top rookie, joined forces in powering the Tamaraws in the second half after getting a lift earlier from the National U Bulldogs.
Ray Parks unloaded a day-high 22 points and the Bulldogs exploited the absence of University of Santo Tomas center Karim Abdul to whip the Tigers, 73-49.
Had UST won and forged a tie with FEU at 9-5, the Tigers would have nailed the third seed due to a superior quotient.
The Final Four kicks off this Thursday with top-ranked Ateneo, toting a twice-to-beat advantage, clashing with UST at 12 noon also at the Big Dome.
Adamson, the No. 2 squad holding the other semifinal bonus, will take on FEU in the other pairing at 3 p.m.
Tickets for the semifinal games will be sold separately.
“We played selfishly in the first half,” said FEU coach Bert Flores. “So I reminded them that a win would also be a good preparation for the Final Four. We played better defense and had good ball movement in the second half.”
Garcia knocked in 12 of his 19 points from three-point range to help the Tamaraws rally from a 29-35 deficit and move ahead at 60-51 midway in the fourth quarter.
Romeo fired 10 of his 17 markers in the final period and Aldrech Ramos also came through with a double-double of 18 points and 11 boards.
NU finished fifth for the second straight year at 6-8 while La Salle wound up sixth at 5-9, the same record the Archers had the last time they missed the Final Four in 2009.
Parks, a strong contender for the MVP plum, also grabbed eight rebounds, on top of six assists, three blocks and a steal.
“We wanted to end the season on a high note,” said NU coach Eric Altamirano. “We wanted to use this game as a stepping stone for the next season. We wanted to build our confidence.”
Abdul served a one-game suspension for incurring two unsportsmanlike fouls this season. The 6-foot-8 Cameroonian averaged 12.1 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Emmanuel Mbe also posted a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who dominated the second half.
The scores:
First Game
NATIONAL U 73—Parks 22, Mbe 14, Javillonar 9, Labing-isa 8, Singh 6, Rono 5, Alolino 5, Neypes 4, Villamor 0, Celiz 0, Magat 0.
UST 49—Teng 19, Fortuna 8, Lo 7, Camus 5, Vigil 3, Pe 2, Ungria 2, Aytona 2, Ferrer 1, Tan 0, Sherriff 0, Lao 0, Javier 0.
Quarters: 23-12, 29-25, 47-35, 73-49
Second Game
FEU 66—Garcia 19, Ramos 18, Romeo 17, Escoto 5, Cruz 4, Bringas 2, Pogoy 1, Tolomia 0, Knuttel 0, Exciminiano 0.
LA SALLE 57—Atkins 16, Van Opstal 11, Webb 11, Mendoza 11, Revilla 2, Vosotros 2, Paredes 2, Marata 2, Torres 0, Tampus 0, Dela Paz 0, Villanueva 0.
Quarters: 14-11, 27-33, 48-47, 66-57
