As if FEU has not been
impressive this season then they come out and play their best game of the
tournament so far – a resounding 87-60 win that sent UST crashing down. In the
first round when the two teams played their opener, you can actually say that if
UST Tiger Jeric Fortuna did not commit the late turnover, his side would have
been undefeated thus far. FEU dispelled any notions of that opening day win as
they romped to a huge win where they led practically the whole way.
I have to admit that I didn’t
think much of the Tamaraws after they lost Al Ramos, Ric Cawaling, Pippo
Noundou, and Ping Exciminiano to graduation. Too much veteran help lost, I said.
In the first round, they won
one stunning victory after another and usually in the last play of the game.
You cannot say “chamba” anymore. They’ve earned all those wins with heady and
steady play. And as much as their offensive load has been carried by their
guards, the pick-up of Anthony Hargrove, Arvie Bringas, and Mark Belo has been
huge. And to think that those three guys have started for head coach Bert
Flores!
After the hot start, things
started to taper off with back-to-back losses to National University and
Ateneo. Then they run in a hot UST team that topped the first round.
Just as they did against
Ateneo, FEU came out with guns blazing. This time, they did not surrender the
lead as they repeatedly attacked the basket with different players chipping in
on the offensive end. Hargrove and Roger Pogoy were fantastic in the end game.
Just when it seemed that UST was primed for a run with some huge treys from
Clark Bautista and Jeric Fortuna, the Tams answered with RR Garcia and Pogoy
hitting from the outside. That sure doused fire on any rally.
And for the second consecutive
game, I also thought that FEU came out with a solid game plan instead of the
give-the-ball-to-the-guards-and-let-them-create system they’ve mostly run.
Their bigs weren’t only the
recipient of passes but they too created their own plays. The frontcourt of
Hargrove, Arvie Bringas, and Belo can only get better with time. Tough blow for
the Tams when Belo went out with a knee injury. How bad I am not sure yet. Should
he be out then that’s cause for concern. However, that underscores the need for
Carl Cruz, Gryann Mendoza, and Russell Escoto to help out more.
You can say that UST played
bad. Maybe so but that’s not exactly fair because FEU’s defensive pressure was
tremendous. And it didn’t help that the returning Jeric Teng was off after
missing two weeks because of an injury. Incredible win that threw a monkey
wrench into the team standings. The weekend’s UAAP results will be very
interesting. This is the time to create some separation.
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