FEU head coach Sean Chambers nearly saw his team fall victim to a late-game meltdown against the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the second round of UAAP Season 88.
The FEU Tamaraws took the win on Sunday against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, but not before being made to sweat in a game that went to overtime, 73-70, at the Mall of Asia Arena for UAAP Season 88.
After leading by as many as 13 points and holding a seven-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter, the Tamaraws let the Soaring Falcons back in it thanks to the late-game heroics of Ray Allen Torres at the end of regulation.
With 2:31 left in the fourth, FEU was ahead by two possessions, 64-59.
But they were blanked for the rest of regulation, with Torres and Cedrick Manzano scoring on the other end for Adamson to drag the game into overtime.
[RELATED: UAAP: FEU averts disaster with gutsy OT win over Adamson]
Even though they did eke out the clutch win in the extra period, FEU head coach Sean Chambers made sure to make himself heard with his players, taking their time in their post-game talk.
“I kind of scolded them in the locker room. Because we played great basketball for three quarters. And then the fourth quarter, we showed a little bit of immaturity that I feel we're at a point in their basketball careers where we need to start showing a little bit more leadership, finishing the game off the right way, and not letting it get to that point,” Chambers said.
“Because for three quarters, I thought we were phenomenal. We did everything we were supposed to. We kept them off the three-point line. And then in the fourth quarter, we just kind of went blank on that," he added.
More than skewing away from what worked earlier in the game, there were also untimely misses for FEU at the free throw line, and a crucial eight-second violation late that gave the ball back to Adamson.
It was in that sequence that Torres drilled the triple that breathed life into Adamson’s comeback.
With the Tamaraws fighting for their lives in the Final Four picture, Chambers wasn’t too happy seeing his team be so careless.
Finding the positives
Still, coach Chambers was thankful for the way the Tamaraws played in the extra five minutes.
“With that said, I'm happy for the win. This league is incredible. Every game has been like this. So I'm really happy for our guys. I'm looking at Kirby (Mongcopa)’s numbers, 17 rebounds for a freshman and 11 points. I mean, just incredible,” he said.
“And Janrey [Pasaol] continues to make some big plays down the stretch where we needed them the most. Janrey, nine rebounds, eight assists, 10 points, almost a triple-double. I mean, phenomenal,” he added.
Apart from Mongcopa and Pasaol, Jorick Bautista was also among their main scorers with a team-high 12 points.
Meanwhile, Torres paced Adamson in the botched comeback try with a career-high 24 points. He also had four rebounds and two assists.
The Tamaraws sport a 4-6 record and are still in the running for a Final Four spot, meanwhile, Adamson fell to an even 5-5 slate.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.