UAAP: FEU boosts Final Four bid, beating winless UE
FEU’s Jorick Bautista in action vs UE in UAAP Season 89.—MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 89 basketball tournament – second round
MANILA, Philippines—Far Eastern University bolstered its Final Four bid after a 94-83 win over University of the East in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament at Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
The Tamaraws improved to a 6-4 record, tying La Salle at third.
The Red Warriors, on the other hand, crashed to a 0-10 record, dropping their 30th straight game dating back to Season 87 in 2024.
“Clearly, we’re happy with where we’re at compared to last year,” said coach Sean Chambers.
“Last year at this time, we were struggling to even get to 7-7 so I told them that we should be very happy to get to be in this situation because now, we hold our destiny.”
UE led, 35-34, midway through the second frame when the Tamaraws uncorked a 15-4 rally capped by a Jorick Bautista triple to give FEU a 49-39 advantage with less than a minute to go before the intermission.
The Red Warriors never regained the lead.
FEU led by as much as 17 points in the dominant win, holding a 90-73 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Bautista paced FEU with 18 points while Mo Konateh posted 15 points and 19 rebounds. Kirby Mongcopa and Elias Gish also turned in 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Toper Lagat registered a game-high 24 points but shot 8-of-21 from the field for UE. Lance Sabroso had 16 while Ola Ajani and Cole Cruz-Dumont tallied 11 points apiece.
