Games Saturday:
(UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)
12 p.m. — Ateneo vs UST
3:30 p.m. — Adamson vs La Salle
Jorick Bautista once again delivered the finishing blow for Far Eastern University (FEU).
The only difference this time: It didn’t come in extra minutes.
For a change, the Tamaraws sealed their first-ever winning streak in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 men’s basketball tournament in regulation over first-round tormentor National University (NU), 65-58, Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Bautista, the hero of the Tamaraws’ first two wins earned in overtime, hammered the final nail in the Bulldogs’ coffin with a booming three-pointer in the last 10.4 seconds to build a six-point separation.
The third-year guard finished with 17 points on 7-of-14 field goal shooting to help the Tamaraws improve to a 3-6 win-loss record.
Mo Konateh led all scorers with 22 markers and pulled down 13 rebounds while Veejay Pre added 12 points, including the split from the foul line for the final count in the Tamaraws’ sweet revenge.
“I don’t want to sound like a broken record but like I said a couple of weeks back. This second round will be a lot different for us,” FEU coach Sean Chambers said.
“We’re getting comfortable and acclimated. We’re understating our goals and our game plans.”
The Tamaraws recovered from getting outscored by the Bulldogs, 15-24, in the third quarter by pouring 21 in the fourth and limiting their rivals to just 10.
Bautista pushed FEU’s advantage to 57-52 midway into the payoff period before PJ Palacielo and Jake Figueroa answered with back-to-back baskets to get NU within one with 2:19 left.
Royce Alforque heeded the call for the Tamaraws, hitting two straight baskets but Palacielo retaliated to turn the game into a one-possession ballgame, 61-58, with 1:14 remaining.
The two teams exchanged bricks before Bautista broke the Bulldogs’ back with the dagger trey.
“It’s a great feeling, as Royce said, our hard work, the way we push each other in training, is slowly bearing fruit. It’s a wonderful feeling getting the win,” Bautista said.
Alforque had nine points, seven rebounds and two assists in almost 30 minutes of action.
NU bowed for the second straight start to slide to the bottom of the standings with a 2-7 card.
Jolo Manansala, who missed a three-point attempt after Bautista’s last triple, finished with 11 points for the Bulldogs.
Palacielo added 10 markers while Figueroa made nine markers, 13 boards and four assists in a losing effort.
The Scores:
FEU (65) — Konateh 22, Bautista 17, Pre 12, Alforque 9, Montemayor 2, Pasaol 2, Ona 1, Anonuevo 0, Daa 0, Nakai 0.
NU (58) — Manansala 11, Palacielo 10, Figueroa 9, Garcia 8, Jumamoy 6, Francisco 5, Perciano 4, Parks 3, Enriquez 2, Yu 0, Padrones 0, Lim 0, Santiago 0, Dela Cruz 0, Tulabut 0.
Quarters: 10-12, 29-24, 44-48, 65-58.