FEU coach Olsen Racea. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Far Eastern University hasn’t been the picture of excellence in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament. An illustration of mediocrity would be apt.
The Tamaraws sit at the fourth seed with a 5-5 record and they’re in a precarious situation as University of the Philippines, which has a 4-5 card, is definitely in a position to creep in from behind.
FEU’s latest loss came against league-leading Ateneo, 70-59, in what became as a manifestation of a fourth quarter collapse.
READ: Blue Eagles earn Final Four spot, down Tamaraws
And even though the Tamaraws faltered under pressure, head coach Olsen Racela still looked at the brighter side of things.
“There is concern but the way we played against the No. 1 team, it gives me enough satisfaction going into the next four games, but we just have to address some little things and we’ll be all right,” said Racela Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
FEU was able to keep Ateneo at bay up until the fourth quarter where the Blue Eagles gained control.
Ateneo upped the ante in the final frame where it outscored FEU, 23-9.
“We lost discipline, which was something we didn’t do in the first three quarters,” said Racela in Filipino. “We gave direct lines to the basket and that’s something we should not do against a team like Ateneo.”