Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws orchestrated a late comeback run to win against the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 47-44, to close the first round of eliminations of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 men’s basketball tourney earlier today, October 23 at the Ynares Sports Complex in Antipolo City.

The Tamaraws struggled on their offensive after posting a 22.2% shooting rate in the paint that led them to trail by four points during the first half, 22-26.

Entering the second half, FEU had an opportunity to outscore after delivering on both ends of the court during their back-and-forth affair with the Bulldogs, clinching their second victory of the season. 

Morayta-based Head Coach Olsen Racela mentioned during the post-game conference how the win gave the team much-needed confidence upon entering the second round of eliminations of the collegiate league.

“Malayo pa kami (We still have a long way to go) but this [win] really gave us the confidence and the drive… More than that, ‘yung belief na  (the belief that) we can compete now with our present lineup,” Racela said.

FEU gunner Bryan Sajonia once again led the team after generating 12 markers and five boards, while Team Captain LJay Gonzales and Jorick Bautista both produced nine points.

Green-and-gold’s reinforcement Patrick Tchuente also delivered a six-point performance along with 18 rebounds and a block.

In an interview with FEU Advocate, Sajonia emphasized that they have to be more aggressive in the next round as they face strong teams anew.

“Sa second round, siguro [kailangan] maging mas aggressive pa kami kasi ‘yung pinakaimportante [is] second round eh. Kailangan namin makakuha ng maraming panalo doon against sa mga malalakas na team talaga (In the second round, maybe we [need] to be more aggressive because the most important [is] the second round. We need to get a lot of wins there against really strong teams),” Sajonia stated.

The Tamaraws ended with a 2-5 win-loss record, sitting in seventh place on the leaderboard for the first round of the tourney.

- Angel Joyce C. Basa

(Photo courtesy of The UAAP)