Far Eastern University added to the woes of a short-handed University of the East, carving out a 95-76 victory to close the first round of the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on a high note on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tamaraws delivered their best shooting and highest-scoring game under head coach Sean Chambers, snapping a two-game skid and improving their record to 2-5, climbing to solo seventh place.
“Last year, we were 1-6 to start the season. This year, we’ve had some improvement; we just didn’t get the result right,” said second-year Tamaraws head coach Chambers.
“We’ve learned from them, we got better, and to be honest, on Friday we had a serious conversation with players and staff about what hard work and what commitment looks like and where we need to get to,” the PBA legend continued.
Despite the Red Warriors staying within striking distance—down by just 12 late in the third quarter—the Tamaraws closed the game with 13 unanswered points to start the fourth, capped by Kirby Mongcopa’s three-pointer that stretched the lead to 79-54 with 8:38 remaining.
That deficit proved insurmountable for UE, whose closest approach was 14 points at 71-85 on a Kristoper Lagat mid-range jumper with 3:50 left.
“Focus muna kami kung anong meron kami ngayon. Sa training talaga kami nagsisimula,” said Jorick Bautista, who had his best performance of the season with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, along with four rebounds and two assists.
“Tinake talaga namin seriously, kami ni Janrey nagusap kami na ‘yun talaga ang tatarabahuhin namin sa second round. Kung ano ang nangyari ngayon, hanggang ngayon lang yan tapos next game ibang mindset na naman,” added the 5-foot-11 guard from Davao City.
(“We’re just focusing on what we have right now. Training is really where it all starts. Janrey and I really talked it through and agreed that this is what we’ll work on in the second round. Whatever happened today stays in the past—we’ll approach the next game with a completely different mindset.”)
Janrey Pasaol also shone with 17 points, 10 assists, two steals, and two blocks, accounting for 10 of the Tamaraws’ 24 assists.
Gambian center Mo Konateh contributed a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Mongcopa had a well-rounded stat line of 12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.
The Red Warriors were playing their first game without sharpshooter Wello Lingolingo and head coach Chris Gavina, who were both serving their respective suspensions.
Lingolingo received a three-game ban after an unsportsmanlike foul (criteria 2) against De La Salle University last Wednesday, while Gavina was serving a four-game suspension for his profanity-laced postgame comments versus the Green Archers.
Deputy coach RJ Argamino led UE in Gavina’s absence.
Precious Momowei spearheaded UE’s effort with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Nico Mulingtapang and Lagat added 13 points apiece.
Team captain John Abate struggled, scoring just three points on 1-of-6 shooting in 30 minutes and 30 seconds on the floor.
UE ended the first round winless, extending its losing streak to 13 games dating back to the second round of last season.
The Scores:
FEU (95) – Bautista 22, Pasaol 17, Konateh 15, Mongcopa 12, Daa 10, Felipe 6, Salangsang 5, Montemayor 4, Macapagal 2, Owens 2, Ona 0.
UE (76) – Momowei 23, Mulingtapang 13, Lagat 13, Despi 8, Robles 5, Datumalim 5, Abate 3, Malaga 2, Caoile 2, Jimenez 2, Tañedo 0, Cabero 0, Rosete 0.
Quarterscores: 22-19, 52-39, 74-54, 95-76.
