MANILA, Philippines – Over the years, fans of UAAP men’s basketball rivals FEU and Ateneo have grown accustomed to gritty, nip-and-tuck battles between the Tamaraws and Blue Eagles, with either side refusing to give an inch to the other until the final buzzer.
Not much has changed in Season 87 as win-hungry FEU edged out reeling Ateneo, 66-65, in overtime for its first win after five straight losses at the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, September 29.
In a Tamaraws team full of prospects, it was veteran gunner Jorick Bautista who single-handedly showed the young guns how it’s done in crunch time, scoring 8 of his game-high 18 points in the extra perios amid an astounding display of one-on-one dribbling showcases and contested mid-range swishers.
After Bautista sank his first three overtime field goals for a 61-56 edge with 1:21 to go, FEU knew better than to get in the third-year guard’s way, as four Tamaraws stood all the way out of bounds to let their leader dance on a hapless Chris Koon and sink another mid-ranger, 63-57, with 34 seconds left.
Rookie Kristian Porter did his best to pull Ateneo within striking distance, sinking two of three free throws with 22.9 ticks left, 59-63, then burying a three with 5.1 ticks left after a Janrey Pasaol split at the line, 62-64.
Big man Mo Konateh, one of FEU’s silent anchors coming off a monstrious 12-point, 25-rebound double-double, then chose the perfect time to follow the clutch trail, sinking two huge freebies off the intentional foul to create a two-possession game, 66-62.
Thus, Shawn Tuano’s desperation pull-up triple for Ateneo made no difference as only 0.1 second was left on the clock, putting the Tamaraws well out of harm’s way on their final inbound.
“We told you it’s gonna take some time because these guys are so young, they’re still getting used to playing at this stage, and learning my system,” said PBA legend Sean Chambers, who finally experienced his first-ever win as a collegiate head coach.
“All of those losses, I got to be man enough to take all of those, but I said last game that pretty soon, every team is gonna have a hard time playing against us.”
Koon paced yet another forgettable loss with a team-high 12 points, backstopped by a pair of 11-point outings from Jared Bahay and Kristian Porter.
However, the trio only combined for an 11-of-39 clip, while Ateneo as a whole only converted 10-of-23 from the charity stripe on the way to a 1-4 record.
The Scores
FEU 66 – Bautista 18, Alforque 12, Konateh 10, Pre 10, Pasaol 10, Montemayor 4, Daa 2, Nakai 0, Ona 0, Bagunu 0, Jones 0.
Ateneo 65 – Koon 12, Porter 11, Bahay 11, Quitevis 9, Lazaro 6, Tuano 6, Gamber 6, Espinosa 3, Balogun 1, Bongo 0, Espina 0, Ong 0.
Quarters: 19-14, 27-32, 40-41, 51-51 (reg.), 66-65 (OT).
– Rappler.com
