FEU stuns La Salle ; UE whips UP

UE BIG man Charles Mamie (right) and UP’s Christopher  JR Gallarza for rebound position in yesterday’s game.  AUGUST DELA CRUZ

MANILA, Philippines — Far Eastern University put a big question mark on La Salle’s title-retention bid with a resounding 82-77 upset that kicked off the 77th season of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Mike Tolomia, who used to be overshadowed by ace guards RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo, pumped in a game-high 23 points, including a crucial eight-point cluster that pushed the Tamaraws ahead, 75-71, going into the final two minutes.

“Going up against a very, very strong team like La Salle, there were doubts,” FEU coach Nash Racela admitted later. “We never expected that we’re going to win this.”

The much improved Mac Belo also helped the gritty Tamaraws come back from an early 13-point deficit, 10-23, to finish with 20 points.

“We were overpowered, overmanned, but I was just happy that our team defense worked,” said Racela.

University of the East also picked up an opening-day triumph with an 87-59 pummeling of the University of the Philippines.

Dan Alberto sparked an early scoring explosion to finish with 15 points for the Red Warriors, who shot a notable 50 percent from the field in the 28-point whipping that served as welcome treat for new coach Derrick Pumaren.

Carl Cruz also came through in the clutch for the Tamaraws inside the last 45 seconds, where he won a jump over La Salle center Arnold Van Opstal before knocking in the team’s last three points.

Returning FEU big man Russel Escoto, who sat out last year due to injury, chipped in 13 markers, while Cruz finished with 11 points.

Almond Vosotros paced the Green Archers with 18 markers. Chris Javier added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Gino Jumao-as and Ronnie de Leon had 10 markers each for the Warriors, who led by as many as 39 points, 75-36, in the second half.

“We really came out strong,” said Pumaren. “We really played good defense. The energy was there, especially in the second half.

We rotated well, challenged them (Maroons), made them work for every point.” The Warriors never let up with Pumaren’s trademark defensive press as the Maroons also struggled with a 28 percent shooting clip.

Alberto, who plays back up for UE’s star guard Roi Sumang, poured in all of his points from beyond the arc, starting with a buzzer-beating heave near midcourt at the end of the first quarter.

Fresh from a pocket tournament in Taiwan, the Maroons had hoped to come out more competitive, but ended up prolonging their woes with a 22-game losing skid since 2012.

The scores:

First Game

UE 87—Alberto 15, Javier 12, De Leon 10, Jumao-as 10, Mammie 8, Sumang 7, Arafat 7, Olayon 4, Guiang 4, Varilla 3, Galanza 3, Hernandez 2, Palma 1, Derige 1, Cudal 0, Charcos 0.

UP 59—Lao 18, Moralde 11, Asilum 8, Gingerich 6, Gallarza 5, Dario 4, Harris 3, Reyes 2, Vito 2, Bederi 0, Juruena 0. Quarters: 19-16, 45-26, 66-36, 87-59

Second Game

FEU 82—Tolomia 23, Belo 20, Ru. Escoto 13, Cruz 11, Pogoy 6, Iñigo 4, Jose 3, Hargrove 2, Dennison 0, Ri. Escoto 0, Tamsi 0, Denila 0.

LA SALLE 77—Vosotros 18, Teng 14, Perkins 11, T. Torres 9, Van Opstal 7, N. Torres 6, Montalbo 6, Sargent 2, Tratter 2, Rivero 2, Bolick 0, Andrada 0.

Quarters: 10-23, 33-37, 57-59, 82-77