FAR Eastern University overcame a sloppy finish to pull off a 73-67 win over College of St. Benilde in its Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup opener on Wednesday.
Hubert Cani caught fire with 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc to go with three assists.
Richard Escoto added 11 points and five rebounds for the Tamaraws, who nearly blew a 64-47 lead entering the final period.
The Blazers capitalized on its size advantage against the Prince Orizu-less FEU and got going in the payoff quarter, outscoring the Tams 20-9. But it wasn't enough to save them from absorbing their third straight defeat in four games.
FEU coach Olsen Racela was not happy with the fourth quarter meltdown but was still glad his team got the victory.
"Yun nga, sinabi ko sa kanila, we really have to play the whole 40 minutes," Racela said.
Clement Leutcheu and JJ Domingo paced CSB with 11 points each.
The Scores:
FEU 73 - Cani 18, Escoto 11, Dennison 8, Tolentino 8, Ramirez 7, Bienes 6, Comboy 6, Parker 3, Tuffin 3, Ebona 2, Inigo 1, Nunag 0.
CSB 67 - Leutcheu 11, Domingo 11, Haruna 10, Sta. Maria 9, Dixon 8, San Juan 6, Naboa 5, Castor 2, Mercado 2, Suarez 2, Pili 1, Young 0.
Quarterscores: 26-18, 43-29, 64-47, 73-67
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