Tamaraws come up short against the Green Archers anew

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Far Eastern University came tantalizingly to handing defending champion De La Salle its second straight loss in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament.

With 2.2 seconds left, all Ron Dennison needed to do was pass the ball to an open teammate who could’ve made the game-winner but Andrei Caracut wouldn’t let the Tamaraws get their shot at history.

As Caracut stole Dennison’s pass, FEU head coach Olsen Racela was beside himself in disbelief.

READ: Bench-clearing brawl erupts in La Salle, FEU pre-season game

“We came out short, I like effort of the guys but you know it came down to the last play,” said Racela Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum after losing to La Salle 75-73.

It could’ve been the first time in Aldin Ayo’s tenure that La Salle would’ve lost two straight.

But Green Archers held their composure despite FEU’s relentless attacks and managed to hold the Tamaraws at bay in the fourth quarter.

READ: La Salle bounces back, frustrates FEU

“We were catching up the whole game so I couldn’t say we had La Salle’s number,” said Racela in Filipino. “We managed to limit Ben Mbala to 18 points, and for a guy who averages around 30 a game, I think the team followed the game plan.”

FEU, however, wasn’t able to stop Jolo Go and Ricci Rivero.

Rivero scored a game-high 20 points while Go went 4-of-5 from deep for 14 points. And it was Go who kept extinguishing FEU’s late-game fire.

READ: Mbala to miss La Salle’s UAAP Season 80 opener vs FEU

FEU staged a 16-7 run in the fourth quarter to cut an 11-point lead to just two, 67-65, only to see Go score five straight points in less than a minute to give La Salle a 72-65 cushion with 3:23 to go.

La Salle mproved to 6-2, the second-best mark in the league behind Ateneo, while the Tamaraws dropped to 4-4.