FIGHTING for its life in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament, Far Eastern University refused to be left for dead, pulling off an 84-83 stunner on La Salle Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kirby Mongcopa drained the go-ahead basket set up by Janrey Pasaol with 26.2 seconds left then had the big block on Jacob Cortez in a wild endgame sequence to remain in the thick of things by improving to 5-7.
The win, however, didn't come easy, as the Tamaraws still turned the ball over in the ensuing possession, but Jcee Macalalag missed on his last gasp three to send the Green Archers to back-to-back losses.
Mongcopa sustained his magnificent rookie season in stuffing the stat sheet with 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a rejection in this massive victory for the Morayta ballers.
Pasaol ended up with 17 points and seven assists, with the most crucial of those dimes being that outlet pass for Mongcopa's game-shifting bucket.
Mo Konateh corralled 14 points, nine boards, and three assists, Jorick Bautista had 12 points and four boards, and Jedric Daa also scored 10 points and six rebounds for FEU.
Tamaraws wins must-win
It was a huge confidence boost for the Tamaraws who saw what was once a 14-point first half lead, 46-32, erased by a Cortez-led third quarter uprising that set up the frantic final canto.
"We are so grateful to be in this stage and in this place, but we also know La Salle is a championship team," said coach Sean Chambers, aware of the enormity of this victory not only for his side's playoff hopes, but also its growth in the long run.
"We have to beat one of the big teams in this tournament in order for us to finally arrive. We have to eventually have the level of maturity to win games this close and if we can, we feel like the sky is the limit for this team."
The green-and-gold remains at seventh, but is breathing down the necks of fifth-running Adamson and Ateneo, both 5-6, as well as now-fourth-seeded 6-5 La Salle.
Mike Phillips garnered 14 points and 19 rebounds for the Green Archers despite being hounded by foul trouble in the payoff period, but that obviously affected his activity down low.
Earl Abadam paced La Salle with 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting from deep on top of three rebounds and three assists, and Macalalag had 14 points and five boards in the defeat.
The Scores:
FEU 84 - Pasaol 17, Konateh 14, Bautista 12, Mongcopa 10, Daa 10, Felipe 9, Montemayor 7, Owens 5, Ona 0, Jones 0.
LA SALLE 83 - Abadam 18, Macalalag 14, Phillips 14, Pablo 11, Cortez 10, Nwankwo 4, Gollena 4, Dungo 4, Quines 2, Melencio 2.
Quarters: 16-19, 46-36, 67-64, 84-83.
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