Despite playing against nine-man opponents, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws still showed no mercy against the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, taking an 87-62 win on Saturday afternoon at the Greenhills West indoor court in San Juan City.
“We’re trying to build a culture where you play a hundred percent all the time,” shared second-year Tamaraws head coach Olsen Racela. “It doesn’t matter who you’re facing, ang concern namin is how we play. Yun yung sinasabi ko sa kanila.”
Richard Escoto and Achie Inigo provided the spark for the Tamaraws, finishing with 13 and 12 markers respectively. But it was Alec Stockton and Joseph Nunag who hammered the Pirates in the final frame, as the former scored a team-high 15 points, four assists, and two steals, while the latter chipped in 14 points.
“If you noticed, I gave exposure to our guys who were our bench players a season ago. This is their opportunity to prove to me if they want to be part of the rotation,” said Racela.
“Some of our new guys also like [Anaclito] Dulatre, [Clifford] Jopia, and [James] Tempra, who is from Cebu. This is our opportunity for us to look at them. Like I told these guys, they have to be ready all the time,” he added.
The game was close during the first five minutes of the contest before closing out the quarter with a 7-0 run. The Tamaraws then never looked back, as they led by double-digits the rest of the way.
Casper Pericas had a game-high 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting for the Pirates. On the other hand, transferee Renzo Navarro was limited to just seven points on a 2-for-11 shooting clip.
With the win, the Tamaraws remain unbeaten in the tournament with a 4-0 record while dropping the Pirates to a 0-4 hole. FEU will have a chance to book an outright Finals berth if they defeat the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on Thursday, May 10 at 4:30pm.
In the second game, the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles demolished the College of Saint Benilde Blazers, 84-48, to even their record at 2-2 in this tournament presented by Chooks-to-Go.
The Blue Eagles zoomed to a 16-2 lead to start the game behind the twin towers of Isaac Go and Angelo Kouame. Behind Josh Barnes’ hot second quarter, the Blazers were able to slice the lead down to just 10 entering the second half.
Anton Asistio and Jolo Mendoza then linked up in a 13-2 blitz to restore order to start the third frame and put the Blazers away for good.
Mendoza and Asistio torched Saint Benilde’s perimeter defense, scoring 13 and 12 points respectively. Kouame had 11 points and eight rebounds as well.
Ateneo out-rebounded Saint Benilde, 50-35. Moreover, the Blue Eagles shot an excellent 48 percent from the field.
Barnes was the sole Blazer who scored in double-figures with 20 points.
On Wednesday, the Blue Eagles will face age-old rivals Letran Knights at 4:30pm. On the other hand, the Pirates and the Blazers will fight for the last spot in the quarterfinals at 3:00pm.
The Scores:
First Game:
FEU 87 – Stockton 15, Nunag 14, Escoto 13, Inigo 12, Ebona 9, Bayquin 9, Bienes 5, Dulatre 4, Tempra 3, Jopia 2, Casino 1, Alas 0, Comboy 0, Cani 0.
LPU 62 – Pericas 20, Japzon 17, Salo 9, Navarro 7, Guinto 6, Remulla 2, Barbero 1, Valencia 0, Mahinay 0.
Quarterscores: 18-11, 38-24, 57-42, 87-62.
Second Game:
ADMU 84 – Mendoza 13, Asistio 12, Kouame 11, Go 8, Verano 8, White 7, Mamuyac 6, Tio 4, Mallillin 4, Natividad 4, Belangel 3, Navarro 2, Andrade 2, Credo 0.
CSB 48 – Barnes 20, Pagulayan 6, Pili 6, Flores 5, Pangalanan 4, Carlos 3, Antiporda 2, Velasco 2, Wilson 0, Miranda 0, San Juan 0, Belgica 0.
Quarterscores: 24-13, 39-29, 59-36, 84-48.
