Jorick Bautista took charge in overtime as Far Eastern University narrowly survived an onslaught from Ateneo de Manila University, escaping with a 66-65 victory in their first game of the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Bautista scored 18 points on a 43.8 percent shooting clip, shining when it mattered most by scoring 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Tamaraws finally clinched a win in Sean Chambers’ first year as head coach after enduring five consecutive losses to Adamson University, National University, University of the East, University of the Philippines, and De La Salle University.
This victory also marked FEU’s third straight win over the Blue Eagles after sweeping Ateneo in the elimination round of Season 86.
“From years to come, pretty soon every team is going to have a hard time with us, because they’re going to get comfortable and my boys will get situated to my system, the triangle and all that,” said Chambers.
After Kris Porter opened the extra period with a three-pointer, FEU responded with a 12-3 run, fueled by eight points from Bautista, including two long jumpers that gave the Tamaraws a slim six-point lead at 63-56 with less than 30 seconds remaining.
A split at the free-throw line by JR Pasaol and a triple from Porter narrowed the gap, but Gambian center Mo Konateh sealed the game with two clutch free throws with just 5.1 seconds on the clock.
“I think that the expectations put on them right now, we got to make sure that it’s fair because we knew it was going to take some time. They’re learning my system, and I’m learning the system of the UAAP,” he added.
Senior guard Royce Alforque contributed 12 points and five assists, while Konateh tallied a double-double performance with 10 points and 18 rebounds. Rookie standouts Pasaol and Veejay Pre also chipped in 10 points each.
FEU will look to build on the momentum from this win when they clash with the University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday, October 2, at the same Cubao venue.
Team captain Chris Koon paced the Blue Eagles in the loss with 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists, while Bahay finished with 11 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and a steal.
Porter struggled offensively, finishing with 11 points on a 3-of-14 shooting clip, but he still contributed on the defensive end with nine rebounds, one steal, and one block.
The Blue Eagles aim to bounce back against a red-hot University of the East squad, which is riding a three-game winning streak also on Wednesday.
The Scores:
FEU (66) – Bautista 18, Alforque 12, Konateh 10, Pasaol 10, Pre 10, Montemayor 4, Daa 2, Ona 0, Nakai 0, Bagunu 0, Jones 0.
Ateneo (65) – Koon 12, Bahay 11, Porter 11, Quitevis 9, Tuano 6, Lazaro 6, Gamber 6, Espinosa 3, Balogun 1, Bongo 0, Ong 0, Espina 0.
Quarterscores: 19-14, 27-32, 40-41, 51-51, 66-65
