Tamaraws, Bulldogs turn back preseason foes

After dropping their first two games in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws looked to finally grab a win after starting on all cylinders against the San Sebastian Stags.

Things turned out a lot harder than they initially looked.

“We had to remind [the players] about the fundamentals. Our team, especially the guards, likes to gamble,” said acting head coach Eric Gonzales on the heels of the Tamaraws’ 62-55 escape against the Stags on Wednesday in San Juan City.

By the end of the first period, the game seemed done and dusted. A 19-1 start from the Tamaraws, aided by 12 missed field goal attempts by the Stags, put FEU on the path off a cruising win.

San Sebastian moved to within three points on multiple occasions, forcing FEU to gut it out in the stretch before prevailing behind the likes of Patrick Sleat, James Tempra and Royce Alforque.

In another game, Jielo Razon overcame a rough shooting night and made the winning triple that iced Perpetual Help’s 66-63 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College.

“My coaches and teammates told me to keep shooting,” Razon said in Filipino after missing all his previous eight attempts from the field before draining the game winner.

Meanwhile, the National University (NU) Bulldogs crushed the Arellano Chiefs, 78-64, with new point guard Steve Nash Enriquez helping to get the job done.

The prized recruit fro Cebu scored nine of his 11 points in the fourth quarter to help NU pull away in its debut appearance in the tournament.

“[We are] still a work in progress,” NU coach Jeff Napa said.

—CONTRIBUTED