UP TO CHALLENGE. Carl Cruz of FEU is double-teamed by John Brondial and Eric Camson of Adamson as Russel Escoto of FEU looks on in this action-packed game during the UAAP tournament on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011. FEU won, 78-74. PHOTO BY AUGUST DELA CRUZ
MANILA, Philippines—It faced a daunting challenge, but Far Eastern University got things done.
The FEU Tamaraws again dominated Adamson, 78-74, Sunday and arranged a rendezvous with defending champion Ateneo in the finals of the 74th UAAP seniors basketball tournament.
Sophomore guard Terrence Romeo struck with 15 points, but another hero rose to the occasion against the Falcons, who had a twice-to-beat advantage, as newcomer Cris Tolomia exploded for 13 of his 19 points in the second half.
“It was a challenge to bounce back after an ugly performance in the first game. I really wanted to make up for it offensively here in the second game,” said Tolomia, who also brought down seven rebounds.
It was Romeo, though, who carried the Tamaraws to their second straight finals appearance, as he calmly sank two free throws with 4.0 seconds left, which ultimately doomed the Falcons, who was also stunned last Thursday, 49-59.
FEU, which was swept by Ateneo in last year’s finals, will square off in a best-of-three Finals on Saturday, September 24, at 3 p.m.
Romeo, who finished with 19 points in the last game, though, missed a triple which could have stretched their lead further from a comebacking Adamson.
But the lanky forward Russel Escoto collared the long bounce off of Romeo’s miss, which gave the Tamaraws an opportunity to milk the clock in that crucial and determining stretch.
“We were struggling the entire season with the loss of Pido Noundou and JR Cawaling, but slowly we were able to come back, and I’m thankful to my players,” said FEU head coach Bert Flores.
Although former MVP RR Garcia clearly struggled, he still scored 11 points capped with an easy runner, which pushed FEU’s lead to 70-59 with 3:11 to play.
But Adamson—spearheaded by graduating back-up point guard Jerick Canada—would not allow the Tamaraws to claim victory just yet.
Canada, playing his final game in the UAAP, unleashed 12 points in the fourth quarter, including rattling back-to-back triples which brought the Falcons alive to within three in the final minute.
Alex Nuyles, who could not find his range all game despite topscoring with 20 points the last time, only managed to split valuable freebies with 51.2 ticks remaining.
Canada, along with Lexter Alvarez, Jan Colina and Janus Lozada, is playing his final year with the Falcons, who had a breakout season by making it to the final four and overcoming their long-time weakness, Ateneo.