After defeating the University of the East Red Warriors for their seventh straight win, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws had a 15 day break entering their game against the Adamson Soaring Falcons. However, the long break might have done more harm than good for the second-ranked team in the UAAP Season 79 Men’s Basketball tournament.
The Tamaraws surrendered a 10-point lead early in the game. They were still able to play physically all throughout, dominating the rebounding department, but they uncharacteristically committed 27 turnovers in the game. That, and the 17 free throws they gave up, resulted in a 59-61 loss to Adamson, snapping their seven-game winning streak.
Monbert Arong committed five of the 27 turnovers of FEU, including a travelling violation with 3.8 seconds left
“Everything comes to an end, just like yesterday,” FEU head coach Nash Racela said, alluding to Ateneo de Manila University’s win over the De La Salle University yesterday.
Averaging just 19.0 turnovers in their 10 games, the defending UAAP champions let their guard down Sunday afternoon. And it is a cause of concern for Racela.
“We talked about our turnovers today. We had 27 so that’s a point of concern. Hopefully, we correct that before our next game,” the fourth-year head coach said.
“Main worry is mag-regress kami. Ang importante especially going sa crucial stretch is mag-improve lang ng mag-improve. Pag hindi nag-iimprove, hindi kami okay. Even if we’re losing, if we’re improving, that’s a positive thing for us.”
And it does not get any easier for the Tamaraws, as they face the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Wednesday and the De La Salle Green Archers on Saturday — the most hellish stretch in the league this season. But it is what it is for Racela and the Tamaraws, and he vows that they will be prepared for the challenge facing them.
“We just have to prepare for them. They played a really disciplined game against La Salle. We’ll prepare.”
