L-JAY Gonzales hit the game-winning trey at the buzzer as Far Eastern University repeated over Ateneo, 62-59, on Wednesday in the UAAP Season 86 men's basketball at the Mall of Asia Arena.
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The senior guard dished out 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals to complete an unlikely FEU season sweep of Ateneo after losing every single game to the Blue Eagles the past five years.
The Tamaraws continued their resurgence to move up to 3-5 while the defending champions dropped back to .500 at 4-4.
“Wala akong masabi. Naalala ko lang ‘yung 2004 na last shot ko (sa finals for FEU versus La Salle), hindi na-shoot. Up-and-under din ginawa niya (L-Jay Gonzales) pero na-shoot niya,” said FEU head coach Denok Miranda.
“Expected naman namin na babalik talaga ‘yung Ateneo kasi grabe ‘yung team nila, sobrang disiplinado. ‘Yung natutunan namin sa past games namin, sa ganitong sitwasyon, ‘yung composure at execution sa offense at defense, lumabas,” he added.
After Ateneo climbed out of a 10-point hole, Kai Ballungay’s overthrown inbound pass gave FEU one final shot to avert a late meltdown with five seconds to spare.
Then, the moment of magic happened.
Gonzales shook off a pesky Chris Koon defense to bury an up-and-under three-pointer at the buzzer.
With the win, Miranda became the first UAAP head coach to complete a season sweep of the Blue Eagles since Tab Baldwin joined the team in 2016.
The scores:
FEU (62) – Gonzales 19, Sleat 12, Bautista 10, Torres 7, Faty 7, Bagunu 5, Ona 2, Tempra 0, Competente 0.
Ateneo (59) – Koon 14, Amos 11, Ballungay 9, Obasa 7, Espinosa 7, Brown 6, Quitevis 2, Chiu 2, Lazaro 1, Credo 0, Bongo 0, Nieto 0.
Quarterscores: 15-9, 30-27, 44-41, 62-59.
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