Collective effort needed, says coach as FEU concludes pre-season cup stint

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MANILA, Philippines — Four guys stepped up for Far Eastern University in the absence of its two guards on Friday to conclude its 2013 Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup stint with a 73-70 win over Jose Rizal University.

Anthony Hargrove took care of business down low and finished with a team-best 16 points, Mike Tolomia couldn’t get anything going from downtown but still finished 13 points.

Carl Cruz scored 13 and plucked 16 boards while Roger Pogoy added 10, including two of their team’s triples, as the Tamaraws played sans Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia.

And that well-rounded effort by FEU is what head coach Nash Racela seeks from his players, especially with a “weaker” line up in the UAAP this year.

“We are a weaker team this year. The only way we’ll contend is if we play as a team. Collective effort,” said Racela, whose squad settled with a 4-4 card in the pre-season cup.

“It was kind of rough [the pre-season]. But that’s why we joined this league for us to learn about ourselves and improve. Everyone must be willing to take the first step.”

With the Bringas brothers out of the line-up and Russel Escoto sidelined due to injury, the Tamaraws are left with a paper thing froncourt.

But other guys like Cruz, whom the Tamaraws leaned in the fourth quarter and especially down the stretch, are stepping up to the plate.

The versatile forward scored on a crucial putback off a missed trey by Tolomia to give them the lead for good with the time winding down, before Hargrove finished on the break to seal the win.

Philipp Paniamogan led JRU, which finished with a dismal 1-7 record, with 13 points while Marco Balagtas and Nonoy Benavides added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

JRU lead early and held off the repeated rallies of FEU behind the sniping of Paniamogan before the Tamaraws in the payoff period.