Photo from Filoil
MANILA, Philippines—Far Eastern University tightened up on its defense in the fourth quarter to pull away from University of Santo Tomas, 90-79, in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup.
Coming off a statement win over the NCAA champions Letran Knights last week, 72-70, the Tamaraws kept their momentum going thanks to a big run in the final frame that turned a three-point lead into a commanding 88-69 advantage.
“Our game plan [in the second half] was really to stick with their shooters. They have a lot of shooting bigs, that is one thing we need to work on, on defense,” FEU head coach Olsen Racela said after the game at San Juan Arena on Sunday.
Applying the pressure, the Tamaraws forced a lot of turnovers, nine of which were off steals. They also protected the paint with eight blocks.
The Tigers hit 14 3-pointers but shot only 38 percent from the field overall.
“They really have a good system though, in spreading the floor for their guards,” Racela said.
Bryan Sajonia led the Tamaraws with 20 points and five rebounds while Ximone Sandagon and Cyrus Torres scored 13 and 12, respectively.
Kean Baclaan had 19 points while Sherwin Concepcion added 13 for UST.
The Tamaraws improved to 3-3 in Group B while the Tigers fell to 1-4.
Meanwhile, National University literally didn’t break any sweat, beating Mapua by default to advance to the quarterfinals undefeated at 6-0. The game was called off after the Cardinals (0-6) did not show up at the venue.