Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws fell against De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 76-87, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 men’s basketball league season opener held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City today, October 1.

FEU got into early foul trouble and trailed most of the game, going down by nine points at halftime, 39-48.

During the third quarter, green-and-gold gunner Xyrus Torres scored eight points leading the team to a 12-eight run against La Salle, 55-67.

Torres sparked back-to-back field goals in the fourth quarter which cut DLSU’s lead to seven, but FEU rapidly crumbled as the Archers consistently showcased their defensive specialty.

In the post-game interview, FEU Head Coach Denok Miranda mentioned what the team lacked during the match in maintaining their momentum.

“Siguro ‘yung ano pa, more cohesiveness kasi ‘yung team is nasa process pa talaga eh ‘di ba, so bagong system, dami naming pinasok [na players] (Probably, we need more cohesiveness because the team is still on the process right, so new system and new players),” he said. 

Torres ended the game with 19 points and four three-pointers, while Jorick Bautista chipped in 12 points and five rebounds. Team captain LJay Gonzales contributed nine markers, 10 boards, and five assists.

During the post-game interview, Torres also thought about the importance of their mindset in pressure-filled instances during their games.

“Siguro ‘yung one thing lang na kailangan namin [ay] ‘yung mindset namin eh kasi noong time na nasa na-dodown kami, halos mga teammates namin parang halos na-dodown din ‘yung sa bench (I think one thing that we need is the mindset because during the time that we were down, most of my teammates in the bench are most likely feeling down also),” he said.

FEU concludes their opening weekend with a 0-1 win-loss record and will attempt to claim their first win against National University on Wednesday, October 4, at the same venue. 

-Nathalia Coleen B. Favila

(Photo by Ralph Mari Castro/FEU Advocate)