FAR Eastern University coach Olsen Racela would rather get his victories comfortably, but he'll take whatever wins he could get.
Olsen Racela on FEU win vs La Salle
"Walang coach na komportable sa ganoong klaseng panalo but like I said, I'll take it," he said after his side's 57-53 stunner of La Salle on Wednesday.
The Tamaraws once again had to grind it out against the Green Archers, with the teams combining for a horrid 29-percent clip from the field in another ugly showing from both sides.
Luckily, Patrick Tchuente and L-Jay Gonzales made big plays down the stretch as FEU continued its unbelievable turnaround with this fourth straight win to rise to a joint fourth place at 4-5 in the ongoing UAAP Season 85 men's basketball tournaments.
That continued a cardiac trend for the Tamaraws as they won their last three games by an average of 4.6 points.
Racela, though, would view it differently, noting that these testy affairs are beneficial for FEU's poise as the season winds down.
"Grind-out wins like these helps with the team's character. Down the line, I think this will help us as long as we stay healthy. We pulled through and prevailed in the end," he said.
Racela also wouldn't deny that this recent string of victories has helped tremendously in easing the frustrations in the FEU camp early in the season, all the more as it stumbled to a 0-5 start which was the school's worst in the Final Four era.
"I think so, because every win you get helps with your confidence," he said.
"Sometimes, it gives you too much confidence kaya nakakapag-relax, but that is human nature. Pero like I said the last game, we'll try to build on the momentum that we have. We'll see kung hanggang saan kami dadalhin ng momentum na ito. Sakay lang kami ng sakay."
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