Behind the hot shooting of Valerie Mamaril, the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws scored their biggest win of the season, taking a 62-58 stunner against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses, Sunday afternoon at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
“Important win sa amin ito. Sila naghahabl for second, kami naghahabol sa Adamson dahil lamang sila sa amin ng one game. Pinaka safety sa amin ‘to,” said Lady Tamaraws head coach Bert Flores.
With the win, FEU overtook Adamson in the standings with an even 6-6 slate compared to a 6-7 record for the latter. The Lady Tamaraws also gave an assist to the UE Lady Warriors as UST dropped to third with a 10-3 card.
The first order of business for the Lady Tamaraws was to shut down Sai Larosa. During UST’s 73-67 triumph over FEU last September 23, Larosa scored 11 of her 17 points in the final frame of that contest. This time around, Larosa was limited to just four points in just 19 foul-plagued minutes.
“Ginawa namin sa kanila, nagzona kami. Kailangan namin mai-stop si [Jhenn] Angeles at si Larosa. Si Larosa yung tumira sa amin ng first game,” added Flores.
With Larosa checked, it was up to Mamaril to do the rest. The native of Pangasinan scored four points, sparking a 7-0 that turned a four-point UST lead to a three-point advantage with 5:38 left.
UST though was able to re-take the lead with 2:37 remaining after an and-one play by Larosa. Mamaril though answered right back with a jumper and a triple with 52.3 ticks on the clock. Free throws by Anjel Anies gave UST a brief hope for a comeback but FEU skipper Precious Arellado was able to score on two freebies with 20.4 seconds left in the game to seal the win.
“Last minute, sabi ko finish strong tayo. Lagi tayo strong start pero walang finish,” shared Flores.
Mamaril finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting to go along with three steals.
“Kailangan consistent talaga siya. Nung first half, gigil na gigil siya. Sabi ko, kalma lang. Ayun, ang laki ng shots niya nung dulo,” Flores remarked about his guard.
Arellado added 13 markers while dishing out seven assists.
Angeles was the sole Growling Tigress to score in double-figures with 21 points.
FEU will next face the also-ran Ateneo Lady Eagles on Wednesday, November 8 at 8:00am. UST, on the other hand, takes on defending champions NU Lady Bulldogs on Saturday, November 11 at 10:00am.
The Scores:
FEU (62) – Mamaril 23, Arellado 13, Quiapo 9, Gerner 4, Ouano 3, Taguiam 3, Antiola 2, Balleser 2, Jumuad 2, Okunlola 1, Bahuyan 0, Bastatas 0, Payadon 0.
UST (58) – Angeles 21, Anies 9, Jerez 8, Gandalla 7, Rivera 5, Larosa 4, Aujero 2, Penaflor 2, Portillo 0, Sanggalang 0, Capilit 0, Isanan 0.
Quarterscores: 10-7, 22-27, 41-39, 62-58.
