MONBERT Arong was left in tears after his collegiate career ended in defeat as Far Eastern University came seconds short of advancing to the UAAP Season 79 Finals.
Arong topscored for the Tamaraws on Wednesday against the Blue Eagles but his efforts went for naught as they suffered a 69-68 overtime defeat in the rubber match for a finals date with La Salle.
The Cebuano hotshot, who capped his collegiate career with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, could not hold back his tears on the court as well as in the dugout.
In a tweet by FEU courtside reporter Ganiel Krishnan, Arong addressed his teammates where he was quoted as saying, ‘Salamat sa tiwala. Marami akong natutunan.’
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FEU coach Nash Racela tried to cheer up his wards amid the sad environment inside the dugout, encouraging the squad to stand tall in the face of the heartbreaking end to their season.
“It’s a well-fought game. It was something that I told the players that you have to be proud of yourself. You stand tall and you give your best in the game. Ganun talaga eh, one team wins, one team loses,” said Racela, who incidentally also coached his final game for the Tamaraws.
“It doesn’t take away anything from all of us,” he added.