L-Jay Gonzales drilled the lean-in buzzer-beating game-winning triple for Far Eastern University, denying Ateneo de Manila University’s fightback and escaping with a 62-59 win to return to its winning ways in the UAAP Season 86 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.
Blue Eagles rookie Mason Amos tied the match at 59 with a triple that rimmed out but bounced right back in with 15.0 seconds left in the game.
The Tamaraws, coming off a timeout, inbounded the ball to Patrick Sleat.
Unfortunately, he could not catch it cleanly, resulting in a loose ball and a jump ball situation. The possession arrow pointed to the side of Ateneo.
FEU then committed its last foul to give in the subsequent play, leaving 3.9 seconds on the clock — and that’s when the biggest turnover of the game occurred.
Inbounding on the court for FEU, Ateneo’s Kai Ballungay threw a football pass to their side, but it went straight out of bounds.
Then Gonzales made his move. He received the inbound pass from Xyrus Torres at the top of the arc, evaded Chris Koon by leaning in, and threw a one-handed three-pointer for the win.
“Lagi naman nire-remind sa akin ni Coach Denok na ako yung titira sa last shot, kaya miracle yung nangyari. Siguro kasi hindi ko naman inaasahan na papasok eh. Nagpapasalamat ako kay God kasi ginabayan niya ako,” said the man of the moment.
Gonzales finished with 19 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out five assists, and recorded four steals.
Ateneo trailed 47-57 with 6:05 left in the fourth quarter but mounted a comeback thanks to the efforts of Ballungay, Koon, and Ian Espinosa.
The Tamaraws also continued to assert their mastery over the Blue Eagles, whom they had beaten in the first round, 66-61 in overtime on October 14.
“Expected naman namin na babalik yung Ateneo kasi grabe yung team nila, sobrang disiplinado eh. Yung natutunan namin nung past games namin na kailangan maging composed sa ganong mga sitwasyon,” said first-year head coach Denok Miranda, who became the first tactician to sweep Tab Baldwin in the elimination round.
FEU improved to 3-5, securing the sixth spot and staying just one game behind fourth-running Ateneo at 4-4.
Sleat added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jorick Bautista chipped in 10 points for the Tamaraws, who were without Royce Alforque due to a knee injury.
FEU will seek its second-straight win on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum when they face Adamson University.
Koon top-scored for the Blue Eagles with 14 points, while Amos had 11.
Ateneo will face another “Battle of Katipunan” on Sunday against the University of the Philippines at 4:00 PM.
The Scores:
FEU 62 – Gonzales 19, Sleat 12, Bautista 10, Torres 7, Faty 7, Bagunu 5, Ona 2, Tempra 0, Competente 0.
Ateneo 59 – Koon 14, Amos 11, Ballungay 9, Obasa 7, Espinosa 7, Brown 6, Quitevis 2, Chiu 2, Lazaro 1, Credo 0, Bongo 0, Nieto 0.
Quarterscores: 15-9, 30-27, 44-41, 62-59
