Fresh from their opening day loss at the hands of the De La Salle Lady Archers, the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws had a point to prove against the Adamson Lady Falcons Sunday morning at the Araneta Coliseum.
Once the game started, it was evident that this was a different Lady Tamaraws squad compared to their first UAAP Season 79 Women’s Basketball game. Their newfound resilience yielded them a 61-56 win over the Lady Falcons.
Precious Arellado and Maria Balleser led the Lady Tamaraws with 15 and 14 points respectively. FEU head coach Bert Flores praised both players for their contribution in today’s win.
“Halos first group na yun eh. Kumbaga seniors na. Yung team din halos umaasa rin sa kanila,” the veteran mentor said.
“Sila halos yung skumor dun. Mga go-to-guy, sila na humahawak.”
The game was a tight affair as the two teams repelled one another until halftime with the Lady Tamaraws carrying a slender 29-28 advantage over the Lady Falcons going into the break.
What won the game for FEU was their third quarter surge when a Princess Jumuad basket capped off a 9-0 run for the Lady Tamaraws. Adamson were left to trail FEU for the rest of the third and fourth quarters.
Adamson were able to cut FEU’s lead to just four points with just 1:55 to go. However, a Yetunde Okunlola basket inside the shaded lane and a free throw each from Balleser and Ventura sealed a 61-56 win for FEU over Adamson.
The win was a welcome result for Flores. It is Flores’ second season as head coach, although he felt that it’s only this season when he felt that the Lady Tamaraws was finally his team.
“Sana ma-Final Four kami dahil from eighth place eh. Layo eh. Kahit papano naman kasi nawalan kami ng bigs eh. Sabi namin, ‘Pakita niyo ang ang pagka Be Brave niyo, ang puso niyo lang lagi,” Flores declared.
FEU’s (1-1) next game will be against the University of the East Lady Warriors (0-2) on September 18, 10:00AM at the Araneta Coliseum while Adamson (1-1) will go up against defending champions National University Lady Bulldogs (1-0) September 14, 10:00AM at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
FEU (61) – Arellado 15, Balleser 14, Ouano 10, Ventura 7, Okunlola 7, De Guzman 3, Jumuad 2, Payadon 2, Gerner 1, Quiapo 0, Vidal 0, Capua 0, Abat 0.
ADU (56) – Pingol 12, Prado 12, Razalo 9, Lacson 6, Osano 5, Alcoy 5, Camacho 2, Cacho 2, Dampios 2, Araja 1, Aciro 0, Tacitac 0, Rosario 0.
Quarterscores: 18-12, 29-28, 45-40, 61-56.
