Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws ended the first round sitting in the solo second spot after sneaking past the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 78-75 in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79 on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Monbert Arong sizzled for FEU with 20 markers, while Wendel Comboy, Achie Iñigo, and Richard Escoto chipped in with double digit scoring.
After building a 66-53 cushion in the fourth quarter, the Tamaraws were looking to seal the game and end the first round with a victory.
But the Bulldogs would not go down without a fight as a Jay Alejandro-inspired rally trimmed down the deficit to a mere 68-64 with over half of the payoff period left to play.
An Iñigo triple momentarily stopped the bleeding for the Tamaraws, 71-65, with over three minutes left in regulation.
But FEU could not stop the surging NU from eventually drawing level at 71-apiece with 2:04 left to play.
With their backs against the wall, the Tamaraws went on a 4-0 mini-run of their own to strike back and take a precarious 75-71 advantage with a little over one minute left to play.
NU had the chance to tie or trim the FEU’s 75-72 lead, but Alfred Aroga could not convert his layup with 21.7 ticks left on the clock.
The Tamaraws held on to their lead, as they ended the first round with a 5-2 record.
Alejandro swished in 31 points for NU, but could not prevent them from sliding down to a 4-3 win-loss slate.
Even after grabbing the solo second spot, FEU coach Nash Racela said that their record now did not mean much yet.
“This is just the first round, we have seven more games after this so it doesn’t really mean anything,” Racela admitted. “Mahaba pa yung laban [We still have a long way to go].”
