FEU tops UST for share of third spot

Photo from UAAP

MANILA, Philippines—Far Eastern University sizzled from beyond the arc in the final six minutes to whip University of Santo Tomas, 72-58, Sunday in a crucial battle between two Final Four contenders in UAAP Season 82 at MOA Arena.

A flurry of triples, including three straight from Brandrey Bienes, allowed the Tamaraws to pull away from a tight contest late on and claim a share of third spot with the Growling Tigers, who also own a 5-5 record.

Wendell Comboy and Royce Alforque also hit a triple each in the blistering finish by the Tamaraws, who saw their lead trimmed, 51-53, on a Mark Nonoy trey with 6:34 remaining.

Bienes actually scored all of his points in that late FEU surge that also saw LJ Gonzales hit a mid-range jumper to keep the Tigers at bay.

Staking his claim as the Tamaraws’ go-to-guy, Gonzales finished with 17 points, while Alforque continued his stellar play in the second round, adding 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting.

Coming off a 79-85 overtime loss to National U last Wednesday, the Tamaraws came out with a sense of urgency, controlling the game right from the get-go with their defense.

“I’m just trying to understand my team more,” said FEU coach Olsen Racela.

“We’ve proven that we can compete against the top teams, but we’re just hoping to do that on a consistent basis.”

Brent Paraiso had 12 points to lead the Tigers, who shot just 9-of-42 from beyond the arc just a few days after torching University of the East with 14 triples.

The Scores:

FEU 72 — Gonzales 17, Alforque 16, Stockton 10, Bienes 9, Comboy 7, Torres 5, Cani 4, Tuffin 3, Tchuente 1, Ebona 0, Mantua 0.

UST 58 — Paraiso 12, Abando 11, Huang 11, Chabi Yo 7, Nonoy 6, Cansino 5, Subido 4, Concepcion 2, Ando 0, Bataller 0, Bordeos 0, Cosejo 0, Cuajao 0.

Quarters: 14-10, 26-23, 45-39, 72-58.