Tolentino shrugs off early woes, delivers late in FEU win over La Salle

FEU’s Arvin Tolentino celebrates after hitting a go-ahead basket against FEU. INQUIRER PHOTO/ Sherwin Vardeleon

No amount of misses will break Arvin Tolentino’s shooting mentality.

Far Eastern University’s sweet shooting big man was miserable in the first half against De La Salle in the UAAP Season 81men’s basketball tournament but turned up the intensity come moments that truly mattered.

And that was thanks to the confidence his coaches in the Tamaraws have given him.

“Coach Olsen (Racela) and the assistant coaches we’re all telling me that I was taking good shots even though it wasn’t falling,” said Tolentino in Filipino after the Tams’ 68-61 win Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.

After shooting just 1-of-4 in the first half, the 6-fooot-4 Tolentino got going in the third quarter where he scored eight of his total 13 points.

Tolentino’s exploits helped the Tamaraws tie the score at 48 heading into the fourth period where he ended up knocking down one of the biggest shots of the game.

With La Salle holding a slim 56-55 lead midway through the fourth, the trailing Tolentino got a pass from Jasper Parker and squared up from the left wing to bury a three for FEU’s 58-56 3:19 left.

Tolentino’s timely three was the catalyst to FEU’s game-changing 7-0 run in the fourth that turned the tide.

After Tolentino made his 3-pointer, his playmaker Parker was the next one to score a gut-wrenching shot that Hubert Cani immediately followed up for a 62-56 cushion with 1:55 to go.

“Coach Olsen told me to just keep taking the shots if they’re open and I was open so I shot it,” said Tolentino who had a 5-of-13 clip from the field. “It also happened to be in the clutch.”