FAR Eastern University continued to be the harbinger of doom for Ateneo.
Using a steady second half, the Tamaraws pushed the Blue Eagles to the brink of elimination in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament with a 65-54 nipping on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
FEU's newfound mastery over Ateneo
Not only did its fourth win in the last six games keep FEU alive and kicking, it also completed a second straight season sweep of the Blue Eagles.
Janrey Pasaol scored five of his 14 points in the Morayta side’s 21-point third quarter pullaway to take a 54-42 lead heading into the payoff period.
Aside from scoring a career-best in the seniors level, the rookie also chipped in seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals, as the Tamaraws went up to 5-8, still well within the muddled playoff picture.
Rojan Montemayor also stepped up big with 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from deep off the bench, scoring the last four points to make sure FEU staved off a late charge from Ateneo.
Mo Konateh then posted an 11-point, 21-rebound, and 2-block double-double to make up for Veejay Pre’s silent five-point night.
“I’m so proud of these guys. Like I said last game, I made it pretty tough for them and these guys have responded to the responsibilities that they’ve been given,” said coach Sean Chambers, who joins predecessor Denok Miranda, as well as the University of the Philippines' Goldwin Monteverde as the lone mentors to own a winning record against Tab Baldwin.
Ian Espinosa paced the Blue Eagles with 14 points, six assists, and two boards, but his efforts couldn’t stop his side from falling to a 3-9 hole.
The blue-and-white will now have to root against University of Santo Tomas in its match with University of the East later to avoid being the first team to be booted out of Final Four contention.
The Scores:
FEU 65 – Pasaol 14, Montemayor 13, Konateh 11, Bautista 8, Alforque 8, Pre 5, Daa 4, Bagunu 2, Nakai 0, Ona 0.
ATENEO 54 – Espinosa 14, Bahay 9, Porter 8, Ong 7, Koon 5, Tuano 4, Lazaro 4, Quitevis 3, Bongo 0, Balogun 0, Espina 0, Edu 0, Gamber 0.
Quarters: 20-16, 33-29, 54-42, 65-54.
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