FEU outlasts NU in OT
FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Still in search of consistency, Far Eastern University has turned to Mark Belo to provide just that this season.
Belo picked up where he left off in the first round with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lift the Tamaraws over the National University Bulldogs, 74-70, in Overtime to start their second round campaign in the UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball tournament Sunday.
The 6-foot-4 forward Belo shot 9-of-14 from the field and two of his eight free throws with 6.3 seconds left sealed FEU’s sixth win against two losses that may even take the Tamaraws in a shared first place depending on the result of the game between rivals Ateneo and De La Salle Sunday afternoon
“Coach has been telling us that we’re not consistent but we always work on that,” Belo said in Filipino.
“The good part about their inconsistencies, when we play the tougher teams they deliver. But we’re still trying to correct that,” FEU head coach Nash Racela said.
Mike Tolomia and Carl Cruz also came up big for the Tamaraws.
Tolomia finished with 18 points, including seven in the third quarter, that kept the Bulldogs from pulling away while Cruz scored all of his nine points in the fourth quarter and extra session, highlighted by a left baseline jumper over NU’s 6-foot-8 import Alfred Aroga that forced OT at 65-all with 59.3 seconds left in regulation.
The graduating Cruz also scored near the free throw line that made it 72-68 with 19.3 seconds remaining in the extra period.
“We have a lot of unsung heroes like Cruz, Pogoy and Iñigo they just don’t get noticed as much with Belo and Tolomia being talked about every time,” Racela said of Cruz’s play.
The Bulldogs, led by Argoa, threatened to pull away in the third period where they went ahead by as much as eight, 46-38, before the Tamaraws responded with a 17-4 run capped by Cruz’s first basket to take a 55-50 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
“NU has a strong team so every time we play them we feel challenged to beat them,” Belo said.
“In the end, our players delivered. Late in the game you could see in our players’ faces that they’re about to give up but it’s fulfilling in our part as coaches that our players were still able to give more,” Racela said. “We emphasized earlier how important the game was especially against a contender. We really expected a close game today.”
Aroga had 15 points through three quarters but scored just two points the rest of the way. Troy Rosario added 14 but had to be subbed out as after succumbing to leg cramps in the final minute of OT.
Starting guard Gelo Alolino also shot 14 points for NU, which also lost to FEU in the first round. The Bulldogs dropped to 5-3.
Alolino hit a clutch triple that put his team ahead by two, 65-63, with 1:11 remaining in regulation but he forced the issue on the Bulldogs’ final possession in the fourth quarter as his tough jumper – well defended by Tolomia – was way off as time ran out.
FEU may have yet to develop that consistent play but at least the Tamaraws won’t need to search for another important factor within a team.
“We have big trust on each other. That’s what coach has been telling us to have since the start of the season,” said Belo.
“The trust on the team is growing and that’s what’s important. It will help us down the road,” said Racela.
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