The Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws resurrected their hopes of a Final Four slot with a stunning 66-62 win over the De La Salle University Lady Archers in the UAAP Season 79 Women’s Basketball Tournament.
“Sabi ko sa mga players, spoiler na lang tayo dito,” admitted FEU mentor Bert Flores. “Kahit papano pampataas na lang ng morale. Malay mong magbabaan din yung ibang team. Sinabi ko laruin na lang natin. Bigay niyo best niyo.”
Loraine Ventura led FEU with 13 points today in the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Ventura was followed by Maria Balleser and Princess Jumuad who scored 10 points each while Angelica Gerner produced 18 rebounds.
The Morayta-based school enjoyed a furious start to the game. The Lady Tamaraws were up as much as 41-22 late in the second quarter. However, a basket from La Salle captain Camille Claro capped off a 6-0 run to make it 41-28 at halftime.
Flores narrated, “Nag-good start kami, hindi kami nag-finish strong nung kalaban namin UE. Sabi ko sa halftime, ‘finish strong naman natin kahit papano.’ Saraduhin natin. Malay natin diba?”
After the break, two consecutive treys from Ventura allowed FEU’s lead to balloon to 49-31 in the third quarter. That cushion, though, went to naught as the Lady Archers enacted another rally closed by Chay Vergara’s trey to cut the deficit to 51-45 before the final period.
Six straight points from La Salle’s Kat Nuñez leveled the scores at 51-51 early in the period. The Lady Archers were then able to get a 58-56 lead courtesy of Jamie Roxas at the 5:48 mark.
From then on, it became a seesaw contest from both sides. Six unanswered points from Jumuad then gave FEU a 64-60 lead with 1:09 left in the fixture.
Nunez was then fouled, but she missed two free throws. FEU called for a timeout and the resulting possession was converted by Jumuad again as the Lady Tamaraws eventually prevailed 66-62 over the Lady Archers.
What won the game for the Flores-coached squad is its rebounds. The Lady Tamaraws controlled the boards with 51 rebounds compared to the Lady Archers’ 36. Of the 51 rebounds, FEU had 20 offensive boards and 12 second chance points versus La Salle’s 11 and 6.
FEU, though, had 31 turnovers while La Salle had 28. Claro and Nunez paced La Salle with 10 points each.
“Kahit papano sa rebounds kami nabubusog. Yung turnover talaga hindi namin ma-adjust. Halos 31 turnover kami lagi,” explained the sophomore mentor.
FEU (3-7) shall face University of Santo Tomas at 8:00 AM. On the other hand, La Salle (8-2) will play against University of the East at 10:00 AM. Both games will be held on October 26 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
FEU (66) – Ventura 13, Balleser 10, Jumuad 10, Arellado 9, Mamaril 8, Capua 7, Okunlola 6, Gerner 3, Ouano 0, Payadon 0.
DLSU (62) – Claro 10, Nunez 10, Arciga 9, Vergara 9, Roxas 7, Castillo 6, Penaranda 5, Dagdagan 2, Vela 2, Ali Mohamed El Hadad 2, Gonzales 0.
Quarterscores: 25-12, 41-28, 51-45, 66-62.
