Far Eastern University kept its slim hopes of reaching the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Final Four alive with a narrow 57-51 victory over also-ran University of the East on Sunday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Rebounding from a 54-70 loss to reigning champions UST Growling Tigresses the previous week, the Lady Tamaraws improved their record to 3-8 with four games remaining in their Season 87 campaign.
“Sabi ko naman sa kanila, whoever is willing to fight for the team, ‘yun yung gagamitin natin and ‘yun yung maglalaro inside the court. Itong mga crucial moments na ito, ito yung mga kailangan namin na may nagsstep up talaga,” Lady Tamaraws head coach Raiza Palmera-Dy said.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
FEU broke away from a struggling UE side with a dominant 16-7 performance in the third quarter. It turned a slim two-point halftime lead into an 11-point cushion at 47-36 heading into the final period.
However, the Lady Warriors refused to go down without a fight. The combined efforts of Malienne center Kamba Kone and Jearzy Ganade narrowed a five-point deficit to just two at 49-47 with 2:08 left on the clock.
A late three-pointer by Erica Lopez, an and-one floater from MJ Manguiat, and an inside bucket from Maria Paras sealed FEU’s third victory in 10 outings, replicating their 62-56 first-round win over UE on September 18.
“To be honest, grateful kami na nanalo kami, but I’m not happy with the performance of our team because record namin ito this season, 31 turnovers. They maximized our turnovers, but a win is a win, we will move on to our next game which is La Salle. We have to address our turnovers,” Palmera-Dy added.
Manguiat poured in 22 points, five rebounds, two steals, and one assist, while Lopez chipped in an all-around statline with eight points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Shane Salvani was limited to seven points on 22.2 percent shooting but still contributed a game-high 10 rebounds, five assists, and one block.
Max Dela Torre chipped in six points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
The Lady Tamaraws look to ignite a winning streak when they clash against the Lady Archers on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
FEU lost its first-round meeting with De La Salle, when Luisa San Juan dropped a record 10 triples.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Rachel Lacayanga paced the Lady Warriors in the losing effort with 15 points, two rebounds, two steals, and one assist.
Meanwhile, Kone nearly tallied a double-double with 12 points, nine rebounds, and one steal.
Ganade contributed an all-around statline with 10 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Ronquillo chipped in seven points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
On the other hand, the Lady Warriors aim to end a seven-game skid when they battle the Growling Tigresses on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
FEU (57) – Manguiat 22, Lopez 8, Salvani 7, Dela Torre 6, Nagma 5, Villanueva 4, Paras 4, Pasilang 1, Ong 0.
UE (49) – Lacayanga 15, Kone 12, Ganade 10, Ronquillo 7, Vacalares 5, Cruz 2, Buscar 0, Yanez 0, Dalguntas 0, Lumibao 0.
Quarterscores: 15-18, 31-29, 47-36, 57-51
