FAR Eastern University set the tone with a strong first quarter to down University of the East, 59-51, and bolster its Final Four chances in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena.

The Tamaraws, who are now 3-1 in the second round, have already surpassed last season’s three-win total after raising their record to 4-7 overall.

FEU’s win also gave defending champion La Salle a twice-to-beat slot in the Final Four. The Tamaraws hope to follow up this conquest of the fading Red Warriors against the Green Archers on Wednesday.

“Pagkatapos nga ng first round sabi ni coach Sean (Chambers) mag-iiba kami sa second round, na mas magiging hungry kami sa wins. Proud na proud ako sa team namin kasi sa practice pa lang work hard na talaga kami and disciplined,” said rookie sensation Veejay Pre, who delivered 20 points and eight rebounds to follow up his career-high 31 points in a 70-79 loss to University of Santo Tomas.

Rediscovering its defensive identity, National University derailed University of the Philippines’ bid to clinch the remaining twice-to-beat berth in the Final Four while keeping its slim hopes of making past the eliminations with a 67-47 victory in the second game.

It was also the Bulldogs’ first win over the Fighting Maroons since Oct. 12, 2022, 80-75, ending a five-game losing skid against coach Dondon Monteverde’s side.

UP had its worst scoring performance since dropping a 49-51 decision to FEU on Sept. 25, 2016. The 30 turnovers it committed is the most for since coach Goldwin Monteverde took over in 2022.

“Finally nakuha namin yung panalo namin sa second round. Finally at least, nabuhay lahat ng mga player ko kahit papaano they deloivered kung ano yung kailangan naming gawin then they really enjoyed kung ano yung ginagawa namin talaga,” said coach Jeff Napa after NU moved in a tie with Ateneo at 3-8, two games out of the No. 4 spot.

UE, which scored a season-low 37 points against Adamson, struggled offensively for the second straight game and only picked up in the fourth quarter before its last-gasp rally fell short.

The Red Warriors, who lost three of the last four games after an impressive 5-2 first round, are now just ahead by a game over the fourth-running Growling Tigers (5-6).

“This is what I felt we’re going to be in the second round. This is the team I expect from us. We’ve been practicing so amazingly the past two weeks,” said Chambers. “Unfortunately, and I don’t want to make an excuse but this is an excuse, we all came down with an illness the game for UST.”

Now tied with the Falcons at 4-7, the Tamaraws are a game behind the Growling Tigers in the race for the No. 4 spot.

FEU remains in the Final Four hunt in the women’s division, keeping its flickering hopes alive with a narrow 57-51 victory over also-ran UE.

The Lady Tamaraws overcame a season-high 31 turnovers to improve their record to 3-7. FEU is two-and-a-half games behind Ateneo (6-5) in the race for the last Final Four berth.

“Sabi ko naman sa kanila, whoever is willing to fight for the team, ‘yun yung gagamitin natin and ‘yun yung maglalaro inside the court. Itong mga crucial moments na ito, ito yung mga kailangan namin na may nagsstep up talaga,” Lady Tamaraws coach Raiza Palmera-Dy said.

MJ Manguiat had an impressive game for FEU with 22 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Meanwhile, Gab delos Reyes had 16 points UE secured the first Final Four berth in junior high school with a 72-59 conquest of NUNS.

The scores:

First game (Women)

FEU (57) – Manguiat 22, Lopez 8, Salvani 7, Dela Torre 6, Nagma 5, Villanueva 4, Paras 4, Pasilang 1, Ong 0.
UE (51) – Lacayanga 15, Kone 12, Ganade 10, Ronquillo 7, Vacalares 5, Cruz 2, Buscar 0, Yanez 0, Dalguntas 0, Lumibao 0.
Quarterscores: 15-18, 31-29, 47-36, 57-51

Second hame (Men)

FEU (59) – Pre 20, Bautista 12, Alforque 9, Pasaol 7, Añonuevo 5, Daa 3, Konateh 3, Montemayor 0, Ona 0, Nakai 0.
UE (51) – Momowei 18, Maga 12, Abate 7, Lingolingo 5, J. Cruz-Dumont 4, Fikes 3, Mulingtapang 2, Wilson 0, Galang 0, H. Cruz-Dumont 0.
Quarterscores: 23-9, 34-20, 47-34, 59-51

Third game (Men)

NU (67) – Yu 17, Figueroa 11, Palacielo 9, Santiago 8, Lim 5, Manansala 4, Perciano 4, Tulabut 4, Jumamoy 3, Garcia 2, Padrones 0, Parks 0, Enriquez 0, Francisco 0.
UP (47) – Torculas 13, Cagulangan 8, Millora-Brown 4, Briones 4, Fortea 3, Torres 3, Abadiano 2, Bayla 2, Belmonte 2, Lopez 2, Stevens 2, Alarcon 2, Ududo 0, Alter 0.
Quarterscores: 24-8, 34-20, 55-31, 67-47

AUTHOR PROFILE

Theodore P. Jurado