Far Eastern University was without one of their best players in L-Jay Gonzales, who surprisingly did not get to suit up in their first game of UAAP Season 84 against University of Santo Tomas on Saturday at SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Head coach Olsen Racela bared that the 23-year-old combo guard recently suffered an ankle sprain. That made his playing status uncertain against the Growling Tigers.
“Na-sprain si L-Jay two days ago in practice”, the PBA great said.
“Game-time decision siya but when we got that lead early on in the game, nag-decide na kami not to use him para ipahinga nalang siya for the next games.”
The San Mateo, Isabela native previously played a key role in their Season 82 campaign. There, he normed 10.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in almost 25 minutes of action in 15 appearances.
In their first game of the season, his backcourt partner in RJ Abarrientos filled in for his absence. The rookie led the team in scoring with 18 points in his debut game in the seniors division.
He also ended up with five rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes of action.
Bryan Sajonia provided a lift for FEU as well with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
Thanks to the contributions of their other players, the Tamaraws didn’t skip a beat amid Gonzales’ absence. Instead, they went on to dominate a young UST squad en route to a lopsided 76-51 victory.
After getting their first win of the season, Racela will surely need his point guard back on the floor when they go up against the defending champion Ateneo De Manila University at 1:00 PM on Tuesday at SM Mall of Asia Arena.
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