FEU’s Jorick Bautista, Jedric Daa and Veejay Pre during a game against Ateneo in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–Jorick Bautista willed Far Eastern University to its first win at the expense of Ateneo, 66-65, in overtime in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament Sunday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Bautista caught fire late as he fired 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Tamaraws snapped a five-game losing skid.
“Trinabaho talaga namin yung mga extra work namin actually nag-shoot around pa nga kami kaninang umaga kasi yun yung gusto ni coach Sean sa amin sanayin namin yung shoot around which is lumabas yung laro nagbunga yung mga pagod namin sa training,” said the third-year guard Bautista.
READ: UAAP: Rookie ‘happy’ with Baldwin praise but focused on helping FEU win
FEU coach Sean Chambers after tallying his first win in the #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/ydFLuZmbN9
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) September 29, 2024
Mohamed Konateh and Veejay Pre came away with double-double performances for FEU. Konateh tallied 10 points and 18 rebounds while Pre notched 10 points and 10 boards. Two more Tamaraws finished in double-digits with Royce Alforque and Janrey Pasaol scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively. Pasaol also had eight rebounds and a couple of steals.
“We told you it’s gonna take some time cause these guys are so young, they’re still getting used to playing at this stage, and learning my system. All of those losses I got to be man enough to take all of those, but I said last game that pretty soon, every team is gonna have a hard time playing against us,” FEU coach Sean Chambers said.
Jared Bahay, who had 11 points for Ateneo, forced overtime after tying the game at 51 after a pair of free throws with 1:29 remaining in regulation. Kristian Porter had three chances from beyond-the-arc to win it for the Blue Eagles but missed all attempts.
READ: UAAP: La Salle fends off pesky FEU to get back on track
Porter, who registered 11 points and nine boards, redeemed himself and put Ateneo ahead with a triple to open extra session before Bautista took over the game.
Chris Koon scored a team-high 12 points that went with four rebounds and three assists for Ateneo, which dropped its fourth game in five stints.
FEU tries to get a streak going when it ends its first-round campaign against University of Santo Tomas on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.