IN THE fight for the top seed in the UAAP Final Four, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws once again came up big in the fourth, besting the Ateneo Blue Eagles 74-72 on September 11 at the Araneta Coliseum. The loss is the third in which Ateneo gave up a lead—six points—in the final minutes of the game.
From tip off to the final whistle, the game was a clash of styles. Regarded as the most talented team in the league, the Tamaraws quickly exploited individual match ups as Reil Cervantes took advantage of the slow-footed Blue Eagle front court, scoring on isolation plays early. Not to be shown up by his teammate, Season 72 Defensive Player of the Year and front runner for this year’s top defensive plumb, Aldrech Ramos took advantage of his superior length, grabbing a game high 11 rebounds—five of which came on the offensive end.
Not all was going well with FEU as RR Garcia, MVP favorite and Tamaraw top scorer, was limited by both the swarming Ateneo back court, but also by foul trouble, picking up his fourth foul with nearly six minutes left in the third quarter. Rookie Terrence Romeo, however, stepped up big in place of Garcia, hitting big triples late in the third, helping FEU build a 4-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Unable to take advantage of the length advantage they enjoy against most teams in the league, the Blue Eagles turned to their high octane offense to buoy them in the fourth. Behind the efforts of King Eagle, Eric Salamat and the increasingly consistent Ryan Buenafe, the Blue Eagles used a 10-3 run to take a 60-57 lead midway through the fourth. Defense was largely thrown out the window as both teams traded baskets for much of the fourth quarter. Salamat’s trey at the 3:23 mark extended the Ateneo lead to six, 72-66 with 3:23 remaining.
A year ago, both teams matched up to close the Season 72 elimination round in which the Katipunan side came back from a 16 point deficit to top the Tamaraw’s and seal the first seed in the Final Four. This year it was FEU who captured the late game heroics.
Romeo continued his torrid pace, driving to the basket to pulling FEU to within two. After the Blue Eagles came up empty on their next possession, Garcia found himself alone at the top of the arc. After hitting only two of his previous eight shots, Garcia showed no hesitation, drilling the triple and pulling the Tamaraw’s into the lead with 42.6 seconds left in regulation.
The Blue Eagles had their opportunities to steal the game. A Ryan Buenafe drive was stripped out of bounds and a Justin Chua reverse layup was denied by Bringas. After Cervantes split of free throws, the door was wide open for the Blue Eagles, but Emman Monfort’s game tying drive rimmed out to close out the game.
“The defense was focused on me but I wanted to do what was needed to win. It was designed to be a pick and roll and it broke apart but I did what was needed,” Garcia said.
With the win the FEU Tamaraws seal the top seed in the playoffs and a first round match up with the De La Salle University Green Archers, while the Blue Eagles are set to face the Adamson Falcons next Sunday, September 19 at the Araneta Coliseum.
Boxscore
FEU 74- Romeo 15, Ramos 15, Cervantes 14, Sanga 11, Garcia 8, Bringas 6, Cawaling 4, Nondou 1
ADMU 72 – Buenafe 14, Salva 13, Salamat 12, Chua 11, Long 8, Monfort 6, Tiongson 5, Golla 2, Escueta 1
Score by Quarter
16-17, 32-33, 54-50, 74-72
