The FEU Tamaraws are at an even 7-7 after 14 games in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball elimination round, and still have a shot at the last Final Four slot.
There is nothing set in stone yet for Far Eastern University as it wrapped up its elimination round campaign in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament.
The Tamaraws survived University of Santo Tomas' fourth-quarter surge, 81-79, in their last game of the elimination round at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao Wednesday, Nov. 26.
At fifth with its 7-7 mark, FEU will need a loss by La Salle (7-6 at fourth) in its match against Ateneo (6-7 at sixth) — ongoing as of presstime — to secure a slot in the stepladder playoff for the last Final Four seat.
Even as the Tamaraws' fate hangs in the balance, head coach Sean Chambers was more than happy at how things turned out for his team, especially after the high-profile exit of Veejay Pre during the offseason, which hampered their growth.
Chambers believes FEU has exceeded expectations.
“We saw everybody saying that we're going to [win] maybe two, three [or] whatever. We saw that, and we used that as motivation as well,” Chambers said after the win.
“But under the circumstances, what happened before the season started, and the guys that came back in, a lot of people didn't know Kirby (Mongcopa) and finally Luke (Felipe) had a breakout game for us today. There's a lot of guys that were on our roster, like Neil Owens who played big for us that a lot of people didn't know who they were,” he added.
[RELATED STORY: Sean Chambers keeps faith on FEU’s Final Four chances in UAAP Season 88: 'We can win now']
Fending off the Tigers
Against the semifinal-bound Tigers, the Tamaraws started strong behind Felipe.
He led the way with his three pointers in the second quarter to help his squad post a 46-25 lead.
Despite UST’s best efforts in the second half to rally back from as big as 23 points, the Tamaraws were able to just hang on.
All things considered, Chambers could not really ask for anything more from his players after they were able to do their part.
“So I'm really, really proud of the growth of our guys. I'm proud of this team. I'm proud of this organization.” he said.
Five different players finished in double-digit scoring for the Tams, with Felipe the most efficient with his 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Mo Konateh added a monster double-double of 15 points and 18 rebounds.
Jorick Bautista, making up for his offensive struggles with timely shots in the clutch, also scored 15 on top of three rebounds and five assists.
Gelo Crisostomo paced the Growling Tigers in the loss with 28 points, six rebounds, one assist, four steals and two blocks.
UST will face twice-to-beat University of the Philippines in the penultimate round.
Out of FEU's hands
A win by the Blue Eagles against their long-time rival Green Archers in their last eliminations assignment will force a triple-tie at 7-7.
The quotient system will determine their seedings, with the No. 4 squad awaiting the winner between the fifth and sixth seeds in a knockout playoff.
The fourth seed will take on league-leading NU in the Final Four, with the Bulldogs boasting of a twice-to-beat advantage.
FEU vs. UST Scores:
FEU 81 – Bautista 15, Konateh 15, Felipe 15, Pasaol 13, Mongcopa 13, Owens 4, Montemayor 3, Daa 3, Nakai 0, Ona 0, Jones 0, Macapagal 0.
UST 79 – Crisostomo 28, Cabañero 17, Akowe 9, Acido 5, Danting 4, Bucsit 4, Padrigao 2, Llemit 2, Buenaflor 2, Laure 2, Calum 2, Paranada 2, Estacio 0, Manding 0, Bangco 0.
Quarterscores: 14-8, 46-25, 63-48, 81-79
—
Luisa Morales is a sportswriter 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.