After falling to the same opponent twice in the elimination round, the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws finally solved the riddle that is the Adamson University Lady Falcons, taking a 67-63 victory in the playoff for second in the UAAP Season 81 Women’s Basketball Tournament, Wednesday afternoon.
With the win, the Lady Tamaraws have booked an outright trip to the semifinals. They have also armed themselves with a twice-to-beat advantage.
“Last year kasi Final Four lang kami. Ngayon, nagkaroon pa ng twice-to-beat,” said FEU head coach Bert Flores. “Sabi ko nga sa kanila, ‘Di naman siguro sa buhay natin na matatalo nila tayo ng tatlong sunod.’ Wala naman nag-iba sa kalaban namin eh. Wala namang na-trade o nadagdag.”
And it was Clare Castro who proved to be the difference in the game.
The 6-foot-4 center – who averaged 19.0 points during their two elimination round outings – had 25 points to go along with 16 rebounds in the contest.
Down by one midway through the final frame, Castro scored four straight points to give the Lady Tamaraws a 62-59 lead with 5:18 late. Jo Razalo and Mar Prado answered right back to regain the lead, but Blanche Bahuyan was able to power her way inside to regain FEU’s advantage.
After getting a stop, Castro split her charities. On the other end, she challenged Kat Araja, who missed a floater. An unsportsmanlike foul called on Razalo against Valerie Mamaril sealed the victory for FEU.
More than his team’s offensive performance, it was the defense of the Lady Tamaraws that Flores lauded.
“Galing ni [Jamie] Alcoy! Pero at least si Mar [Prado], mababa yung tira sa three-points ngayon. At least yung depensa namin gumana, yung hard work namin lumabas,” he shared. “Tapos lumabas din maturity ni Mamaril at nag-finish strong si Castro. Last time kasi, nag-struggle siya nung end game.”
Alcoy had 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal to pace Adamson. Though Prado ended up with 20 points and 13 rebounds, she shot just 6-for-19 from the field, 2-of-8 from distance.
Mamaril and Bahuyan supported Castro, finishing with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Adamson will have to go through the ringer. The Lady Falcons will face the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses in the knockout quarterfinals on Sunday, November 25, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. The winner of that contest will face the Lady Tamaraws in the semis.
The Scores:
FEU 67 — Castro 25, Mamaril 14, Bahuyan 10, Quiapo 7, Antiola 6, Bastatas 3, Taguiam 2, Vidal 0, Payadon 0, Dugay 0, Abat 0.
ADU 63 — Alcoy 25, Prado 20, Camacho 7, Cacho 5, Araja 4, Razalo 2, Bilbao 0, Rosario 0, Osano 0.
Quarterscores: 15-17, 34-36, 54-50, 67-63.
