UAAP: UP holds off FEU with strong finish led by Carl Tamayo

UP Fighting Maroons’ Carl Tamayo. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–University of the Philippines weathered Far Eastern University’s fierce fightback with a strong finish for a 73-67 victory that kept the defending champions at the top of the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball ladder last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Carl Tamayo found his range in a key stretch, scoring half of his 16 points in the fourth while Terrence Fortea knocked down all of his five threes and finished with a career high 17 points in the unbeaten Fighting Maroons’ third straight win.

Unlike the past two outings where they started out flat, the Maroons came firing out of the gates, building a 14-point advantage early before the Tamaraws slowly erased the deficit.

“We got what we wanted. We started out strong unlike in the first two games, but we weren’t able to sustain it. We have to work on being consistent in all four quarters,’’ said UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon.

Ximone Sandagon rose to the challenge against UP’s big frontline and powered his way to 20 points for the Tamaraws, who pulled down 22 offensive rebounds that kept them in the thick of the fight.

“We went toe to toe with the defending champions. If we keep playing this way, fighting this way, the victories will eventually come,’’ said FEU coach Olsen Racela.

Tamayo drilled a mid-range jumper in the closing minutes over Anonuevo and did a similar act in their next possession on the corner, providing the Maroons the separation they needed to had FEU its third straight setback.

The Scores

UP 73 — Fortea 17, Tamayo 16, Diouf 11, Lucero 10, Alarcon 8, Abadiano 7, Eusebio 2, Calimag 1, Torculas 1, Spencer 0, Ramos 0, Lina 0.
FEU 67 — Sandagon 20, Sleat 11, Gonzales 11, Anonuevo 9, Bautista 7, Torres 5, Alforque 2, Celzo 2, Tempra 0, Tchuente 0, Guibao 0.
Quarters: 10-23, 41-42, 57-60, 73-67.