Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraw’s Clare Castro, Elaiza Adriano, Valerie Mamaril, and Blanche Bahuyan chipped in a big win to cap off the day despite losing thrice in a row on day one of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season 81 3x3 basketball tournament, March 2.

In their opening match against University of Santo Tomas (UST), the duo of Castro and Mamaril combined for 8 markers for the squad but fell short by one, 8-9, to hold a 0-1 win-loss record.

In their duel against Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), the Lady Tamaraws slid to 0-2 slate after getting outplayed by the agile Lady Eagles with the final score of 6-8.

The Lady Tamaraws, meanwhile, got their skills tested when faced off against the defending champions National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs.

FEU, being the much younger team, acquired their third straight loss of the tournament and scored only three points. NU’s experience was just too much for the Lady Tams as they were able to quadruple the team’s outing, 3-12.

In their last assignment against the De La Salle University (DLSU), the Morayta-based squad played in sync to notch their first win of the day, 12-7. Castro and Adriano tallied four markers each while Bahuyan added three of her own.

Despite holding a 1-3 win-loss slate, the Lady Tamaraws remain optimistic. As veteran cager Mamaril put it, “Sa ngayon, natalo kami ng tatlo, isa lang panalo namin. Bukas kung maipapanalo namin ‘yung tatlong games, may pag-asa pa kami makapasok sa semis ( As of now, we have lost three times, we only have one win. Tomorrow, if we will be able to win all three matches, we still have a chance to enter the semis).”

“Box-out tsaka shooting, kulang kami sa shooting (Box-out and shooting, we lack in shooting),” Mamaril shared regarding the team’s lapses in four matches.

The Lady Tamaraws will look to end their 3x3 campaign strong as they resume their play on March 3 at the same venue, Ayala Malls Feliz in Pasig City.

-Mark Steven V. Donque