FEU escapes JRU to stay perfect in Filoil Preseason cup

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

Far Eastern University dodged a bullet against Jose Rizal University and came away with an 87-85 victory to stay unscathed in the 2018 Chooks-to-Go Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup Tuesday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The Tamaraws leaned on Hubert Cani, who fired 13 points, two rebounds, and two steals as they preserved their 3-0 record in Group B.

Brandrey Bienes and Joseph Nunag also tallied 13 points apiece, while Jasper Parker got 12 points, four assists, and two boards in the victory.

FEU lost hold of an eight-point lead, 87-79, in the final two minutes as MJ Dela Virgen put the Heavy Bombers on his back for the final uprising.

Darius Estrella cut the lead down to two, 87-85, with 31.4 seconds, and had a shot to steal the game after Cani’s layup rimmed out in the waning seconds, but Dela Virgen muffed the potential game-winner from the right elbow at the buzzer.

Coach Olsen Racela heaved a sigh of relief after the Tamaraws survived a game challenge from the Heavy Bombers, which shot 9-of-21 from downtown.

“They had so many shooters, so we have to work on our half-court defense,” he said. “We gave up too many open threes. So we need to make it hard for them, especially against a team that has a lot of shooters.”

Ry dela Rosa paced JRU with 18 points and four rebounds, while Jed Mendoza had 17 points, six boards, and five assists.

The Heavy Bombers remained at the bottom of the standings with their 0-3 slate.

The Scores:

FEU 87 — Bienes 13, Cani 13, Nunag 13, Parker 12, Tuffin 11, Eboña 7, Tolentino 6, Dulatre 2, Escoto 2, Iñigo 2, Jopia 2, Ramirez 2, Tempra 2, Bayquin 0, Orizu 0, Stockton 0.

JRU 85 — Dela Rosa 18, Mendoza 17, Dela Virgen 14, Ramos 13, Estrella 11, Bordon 6, Silvarez 4, Dulalia 2, Esguerra 0, Perez 0, Yu 0.

Quarters: 28-27, 52-53, 72-68, 87-85.