PHOTO by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Far Eastern U takes the first of three cracks at the twice-to-beat semifinal bonus when it faces first-round conqueror University of Santo Tomas Saturday, even as University of the East tries to sustain its late push for a Final Four berth in UAAP Season 78 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The league-leading Tamaraws and the second-running Tigers square off at 4 p.m. with FEU seeking to avenge its only loss in the tournament against a UST team still reeling from a shocking defeat to UE last Wednesday.
It wasn’t just the defeat that left the Tigers searching for answers, but the way they lost to the Warriors, who came up with a strong finish for an emphatic 91-77 triumph.
Suddenly in contention after the win over the Tigers, the Warriors are looking for a season sweep of the Adamson Falcons in the 2 p.m. showdown.
“We just have to be consistent and continue playing with urgency,” said UE coach Derrick Pumaren, whose Warriors overpowered the Falcons, 89-78, in the first round last Sept. 16.
“We want to take it one game at a time.”
The Tamaraws will be looking to pounce on an out-of-sorts UST squad that faded in the fourth period against the Warriors.
But with the Ateneo Blue Eagles breathing down their necks in the race for a twice-to-beat bonus, the Tigers are hard-pressed to repeat over the Tamaraws. The Tigers can also gain at least a playoff for the bonus with a victory.
The Tigers prevailed over the Tamaraws, 72-71, in their early-season meeting where Eric Daquioag fired 18 points. FEU racked up nine straight victories after that defeat.