By Aimerose C. Atienza

The Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws suffered another loss after the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers delivered a strong finish in their first-round match, 65-75, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season 84 men’s basketball tourney at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, March 31. 

“We got totally outplayed by one guy, [Michael] Phillips, and I think our big [men] should do a better job of bringing energy and intensity doon sa laro nila (in their game),” FEU Head Coach Nash Racela said. 

The Morayta-based squad managed to limit the gap of the Archers until the final canto with FEU’s veteran guard LJay Gonzales generating a stellar 12-point performance for the team, 61-62. He finished with 17 points, three assists, four rebounds, and four steals.

Gonzales encountered a fall after making an offensive rebound which stopped the run of the green-and-gold.

“Kanina no’ng pagka-rebound ko, ang sakit ng tagiliran ko. Siguro mali lang ‘yung pagkabagsak pero kaya naman (After the rebound a while ago, the side of my body got hurt. It was probably because of a wrong fall, but it was tolerable),” Gonzales mentioned.

This led to an opportunity for the Archers to extend their lead to 10 and to end the match with the joint efforts of DLSU seniors Justine Baltazar and Kurt Lojera, 65-75.

FEU’s prized rookie RJ Abarrientos had a weak execution with nine points, shooting 1/7 from the field. While Emman Ojuola had a tough match-up with DLSU’s big man Michael Phillips limiting him to just two points in the second half, he finished with 13 points in the game.

Another prized rookie of the Racela-led team, Cholo Añonuevo, has not yet suited up in this game since the season opener.

“We should learn from what happened today and get better from the loss,” Racela said.

With the loss, the Tamaraws dropped to fifth place with a 1-2 win-loss record and will face the National University Bulldogs on Saturday, April 2 at the same venue.

(Photo courtesy of The UAAP)