Far Eastern University set the pace with a dominant first quarter to defeat the University of the East, 59-51, and boost its Final Four bid in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on Sunday.
With the win, the Tamaraws improved to a 4-7 record, now tied with the Adamson Soaring Falcons for fifth place.
This marks a strong 3-1 start in the second round, with their only loss coming against the University of Santo Tomas, where standout Veejay Pre notched a career-high 31 points.
“Pagkatapos nga ng first round sabi ni coach Sean mag-iiba kami sa second round, na mas magiging hungry kami sa wins,” said Pre, who led FEU with 20 points and eight rebounds.
“Proud na proud ako sa team namin kasi sa practice pa lang, work hard na talaga kami and disciplined.”
The Tamaraws have shown marked improvement in the second round, already matching their win total from last season.
“This is what I felt we’re going to be in the second round. This is the team I expect from us. We’ve been practicing so amazingly the past two weeks,” said FEU head coach Sean Chambers.
“Unfortunately, and I don’t want to make an excuse but this is an excuse, we all came down with an illness the game for UST.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
FEU jumped to a commanding 23-9 lead in the first quarter, shooting an impressive 10-of-13 from the field. Pre led the charge with eight points, while Cholo Anonuevo added five, and Jorick Bautista contributed four.
Their defense was equally formidable, holding UE to a dismal 4-of-21 from the field, with Precious Momowei, Rainer Maga, Jack Cruz-Dumont, and Nico Mulingtapang accounting for UE’s only field goals.
The Red Warriors’ offensive struggles echoed their previous game against Adamson, where they managed just 37 points on 26.3 percent shooting.
In this game, back-to-back baskets by Momowei brought UE within seven points at 47-54 with 3:08 remaining.
That was as close as they would get, though, as FEU held firm and avenged their 56-51 loss to UE in the first round.
Aside from Pre’s standout performance, Bautista added 12 points and four assists, while Royce Alforque tallied nine points and eight rebounds.
Janrey Pasaol contributed seven points, four rebounds, and four assists.
The Tamaraws aim to continue their Final Four push on Wednesday against De La Salle University at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The Red Warriors, who dropped to 6-5 with this second straight loss, remain in third place. However, their defeat also secured De La Salle University (10-1) the first twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.
Despite UE’s setback, Momowei played the entire game, posting 18 points and an impressive 21 rebounds. Maga also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while John Abate was limited to seven points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Wello Lingolingo managed just five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
UE will look to bounce back on Saturday when they face the University of Santo Tomas at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
FEU 59 – Pre 20, Bautista 12, Alforque 9, Pasaol 7, Añonuevo 5, Daa 3, Konateh 3, Montemayor 0, Ona 0, Nakai 0.
UE 51 – Momowei 18, Maga 12, Abate 7, Lingolingo 5, J. Cruz-Dumont 4, Fikes 3, Mulingtapang 2, Wilson 0, Galang 0, H. Cruz-Dumont 0.
Quarterscores: 23-9, 34-20, 47-34, 59-51
