They came into the game with their minds really focused on the UAAP Final Four.
“I’m a big picture kind of guy,” said Far Eastern University coach Nash Racela. “I could have even sacrificed this game just to be ready for [the semifinals on] Saturday. But the chance to win presented itself.”
True enough, the Tamaraws looked more set for a scrimmage with their bench players getting most of the minutes against a La Salle squad fighting for survival.
Yet even with the FEU big guns led by Mac Belo and Mike Tolomia watching from the sidelines, the Tamaraws proved too tough to handle in the stretch, rallying from 15 points down to boot out the Green Archers from the Final Four picture, 71-68, Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We really said we’ll try to get a win,” said Racela. “That’s what we always teach our players—to do their best and try to win every time. But we also had the intention of keeping our guys fresh.”
Roger Pogoy came up big in the fourth quarter, dropping 11 straight points, including three triples, in a two-minute stretch that pushed the Tamaraws ahead, 63-61.
And even when Pogoy surprisingly headed back to the bench after that hot streak, Monbert Arong kept the Tamaraws up, 67-63.
The Archers closed in by a point on a Jeron Teng bucket, 69-68, with 17 seconds left, before Joe Trinidad sealed it for the Tamaraws.
“That’s also the objective—to prepare the other players for the Final Four in the event that we need them,” said Racela.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Archers—who missed the Final Four for just the fourth time in 22 seasons—as they came so close to forging a playoff with National University, taking a 52-37 lead at one point.
With the matchups sealed, the Final Four gets going this weekend with No. 2 FEU battling Ateneo on Saturday and No. 1 University of Santo Tomas clashing with NU on Sunday.
La Salle now can only look forward to next season just like University of the East, which wrapped up its campaign with a 79-67 triumph over University of the Philippines to tie the Archers at 6-8.
The Maroons wound up with a 3-11 slate.
The scores:
First Game
UE 79—Derige 18, Varilla P. 14, Javier 13, De Leon 8, Varilla J. 7, Palma 5, Yu 5, Batiller 3, Manalang 3, Gagate 2, Sta. Ana 1, Charcos 0.
UP 67—Desiderio 26, Asilum 12, Amar 8, Juruena 7,Manuel 6, Moralde 4, Dario 2, Gallarza 2, Harris 0, Jaboneta 0, Kone 0, Lim 0, Vito 0, Webb 0.
Quarters: 17-18, 37-28, 61-47, 79-67
Second Game
FEU 71—Arong 13, Pogoy 11, Belo 10, Iñigo 9, Escoto 8, Oriz 5, Escoto Ru. 4, Trinidad 3, Holmqvist K. 3, Holmqvist S. 2, Tamsi 2, Tolomia 2, Comboy 0, Emboy 0.
LA SALLE 68—Teng 20, Rivero 16, Torralba 8, Torres 7, Perkins 6, Muyang 5, Caracut 3, Langston 3, Gob 0.
Quarters: 22-19, 29-38, 45-54, 71-68