Tolentino making up for lost time as FEU braces for last 2 games

ANTIPOLO—The UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament has so far seen three suspensions as it winds down to its last games heading into the Final Four.

Arvin Tolentino, Thirdy Ravena, and Javi Gomez De Liaño have all been suspended throughout the course of the season but none have compared to what the forward from Far Eastern University has merited.

Of the three, only Tolentino was tossed for two separate occasions with the second one sidelined the 6-foot-4 forward for a couple of games.

Tolentino, who was suspended for a total of three games, has since learned from his mistakes and looked to atone for what he has done putting up gaudy scoring numbers for the Tamaraws in the two games after serving his suspension.

“I have to be careful with what I’m doing because they’re very strict with the calls this season,” said Tolentino in Filipino after their 80-61 win over University of the East Sunday at Ynares Center here.

“There are things that you can’t get away from, so I just need to adjust.”

Tolentino is averaging 19.5 points in his return from his two-game suspension, matches that FEU lost to Ateneo (82-62) and University of the Philippines (95-82), and has helped the Tamaraws climb to fourth with a 6-6 record.

FEU’s latest win against the Red Warriors was also of utmost importance for the Tamaraws as they climbed back to the Final Four picture after falling to as low as sixth in the standings during their four-game losing streak.

“I’m just doing my job because we’ve fallen down deeply in the standings,” said Tolentino who had 18 points, five rebounds, and two steals against UE. “These last two games are crucial for us.”

“After that four-game losing streak we just stayed positive,” added Tolentino.