The defending champion Far Eastern University worked doubly hard under the boards and rattled the Ateneo Blue Eagles with its firm zone defense.
Add the big plays by Raymar Jose and Monbert Arong and the Tamaraws came back from 10-points down on the way to a 62-61 triumph on Saturday (Nov. 26) at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Game Wednesday:
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
12 noon – DLSU vs UE (women semis)
4 p.m. FEU vs Ateneo (men’s semis)
Jose scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the fourth period, joining forces with Arong, who tallied 13 points in the Tams’ successful bid to force a rubber match with the Blue Eagles on Wednesday. (Nov. 30) Their effort inside and outside the paint in the crucial moments of the final period allowed Tams to fight their way out of a 10-point deficit.
“I remember telling the players at the quarter break not to break down. I think it was really hard in the third quarter. There were a lot of questionable calls then. Halos bumigay na kami,” said FEU coach Nash Racela.
Aaron Black led the Blue Eagles with 11 points, including two jumpers from the perimeter and a triple in the start of the fourth that handed Ateneo a 49-39 lead in the last 8:09.
The Tams responded by going strong underneath with their zone and Arong splitting his charity and driving past Chibueze Ikeh in the remaining 7:11, to lead a 10-5 rally.
They forced Ateneo to three turnovers, and tied the match 49-all off Jose’s putback.
The 5’11 Arong forced another deadlock at 55-all with his free throw in the last 1:53, and then broke it with a tear drop shot off Raffy Verano.
Arong, who was 5 of 10 on the free throw line, moved away on three freebies in the last 11.3 seconds, 62-58.
Blue Eagles coach Tab Baldwin admitted that the team did not play with composure and experience.
"They played good FEU basketball. Very aggressive on the offensive boards, attacking the rim, and shooting 17 free throws in the fourth quarter, and seven offensive rebounds as well, and that’s FEU basketball,” said Baldwin.
Baldwin added that the team has been building up on their composure throughout the season, and this time, the team paid the price for letting FEU get into the team’s nerves in the fourth period.
BOX SCORES:
FEU 62 – Jose 20, Arong 13, Orizu 9, Comboy 8, Dennison 6, Inigo 4, Tuffin 2, Escoto 0, Trinidad 0, Ebona 0, Holmqvist 0, Nunag 0, Bayquin 0, Denila 0
ATENEO 61 – Black 11, Ravena 10, Asistio 9, Go 8, Verano 7, Ikeh 5, Nieto Mi 4, Nieto Ma 3, Wong 2, Porter 2, Tolentino 0
QUARTER SCORES: 10-10, 23-20, 35-42, 62-61