The Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws made easy work of University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJR) Jaguars, 70-57, to post their second straight victory in the 2015 FilOil-Flying V Hanes Premier Cup Saturday afternoon at the FilOil-Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
FEU started hot in the opening frame, with their rhythm on both ends of the floor clicking well. From a slim 11-8 lead, the Tamaraws surged further to post a wide thirteen-point cushion, 23-10, after a pair of free throws from Mark Belo with 4.4 ticks left. USJR closed out the quarter with a lay-up to make it 23-12.
A slow-paced, relaxed type of game was exercised by the Tamaraws come the second quarter. Despite the lagging movement of the Tamaraws, USJR still could not capitalize on that chance. They saw themselves behind by eighteen, 31-13, the largest deficit of the first half, with less than six minutes remaining. The Jaguars trimmed the deficit to twelve, 31-19, but FEU, behind the scoring of Achie Inigo, Raymar Jose, and Russel Escoto, closed the first half in their favor, 37-23.
The green-and-gold cagers did not let the halftime break ruin their momentum, as they pounded USJR’s defense to post a 21-point advantage, 51-30, after a Monbert Arong layup with exactly three minutes on the clock. A triple from James Regalado trimmed the deficit for USJR, 51-33, but it failed to spark a comeback for the Jaguars as they ended the third canto still behind, 56-34.
The final quarter saw FEU gradually closing the door for USJR to close within striking distance, with the Tamaraws ahead with the biggest lead of the game, 65-41, with five minutes left. USJR did not go down without a fight, closing within twelve, 67-55, after a pair of freebies from Miguel Gastador. But that proved to be their last run, as time was not on their side anymore, with FEU’s Stephen Roxas nailing a trey on the right corner with 12 ticks left to seal the win for the Tamaraws.
Despite the blowout win, FEU Head Coach Nash Racela still reiterates that the team has a lot to learn on playing within the system. “We weren’t looking at the score; we are emphasizing to them about playing the right way,” said Racela.
No Tamaraw scored in double digits in today’s game. Prince Orizu led the Tamaraws with 9 points and 8 rebounds. Escoto had 8, whiule Tolomia added 6. USJR were led by RJ Dinolan with 14 points off the bench.
The win improved FEU’s slate to 2-1, while USJR, dropped to 1-6. FEU will face National University on May 16, at 3:15 PM while USJ-R will play their final game of the tournament against the debuting AdU Soaring Falcons.
The Scores:
FEU 70 – Orizu 9, Escoto 8, Tolomia 6, Escoto 6, Ugsang 6, Inigo 5, Arong 5, Belo 5, Jose 4, Holmqvist 4, Pogoy 4, Roxas 3, Trinidad 2, Tamsi 2, Bienes 2
USJR 57 – Dinolan 14, Regalado 13, Suano 10, Villafranca 8, Navarra 4, Villarias 4, Gastador 3, Labares 1
| TEAMS | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH |
| FEU (A, 2-1) | 23 | 37 | 56 | 70 |
| USJ-R (A, 1-6) | 12 | 23 | 34 | 57 |
