Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Far Eastern University picked up a big win after blowing out University of the Philippines, 78-59, in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tamaraws streaked to its third straight win for a 4-2 record to move up to solo third while the Fighting Maroons dropped to fourth with a 3-2 slate.
After UP staged a quick 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 10, 58-48, the Tamaraws pulled all the stops and unleashed a brutal 16-0 counter with Jasper Parker capping it off with a corner triple for a 74-48 lead with 2:50 left.
FEU head coach Olsen Racela said the offense wasn’t the first thing they thought of to repel UP’s scoring splurge, but a well-executed defensive plan.
“I always tell them that when a team makes a run, we should focus on stops and normally when a team goes on a run they want to score immediately,” said Racela. “So we focused on stops, and it’s a good thing they responded.”
FEU was aware of its opponent’s hot shooting, something the Fighting Maroons displayed in a stunning victory over defending champion La Salle in a game where they put up 16 three-pointers.
With that in mind, the Tamaraws held the Fighting Maroons to just four triples and 31 percent shooting (23-of-73) from the field.
Ron Dennison, who hounded Paul Desiderio throughout the game, led FEU with 16 points to go along with seven rebounds.
Richard Escoto added 12 points to the Tamaraws’ cause while Prince Orizu had eight points 14 rebounds, and two blocks.
Ibrahim Ouattara paced UP with 17 points, 13 boards, and two blocks while rookie Juan Gomez De Liaño added 16 points.
After finishing with a career-high 30 points against the Green Archers, Desiderio struggled, converting four of his 12 field goal attempts for nine points.