Tamaraws nip Eagles in battle of UAAP favorites

Powerhouse team Far Eastern University and grandslam-seeking squad Ateneo gave everyone a glimpse of a projected blockbuster finale in their debut game in the UAAP men’s basketball Season 73. The titanic battle was fought over nine deadlocks and 13 lead changes, but a gutsy sophomore guard stole the spotlight in the tense match that was decided by a missed shot in the final four tenths of a second. Ryan Roose Garcia matched his career-high 25 points, including a crucial three-point play in the closing seconds of the game as the Tamaraws survived the Blue Eagles, 72-69, Sunday at the Big Dome.

The second-year guard, who filled in the big shoes left by Mark Barroca, broke a 67-67 standoff by driving past Kirk Long and scoring on a lay-up plus a foul over rookie Edwin Escueta with 1:18 left in the game. He completed the three-point play to give the Tamaraws enough cushion. "I was pressured in the first quarter, but slowly but surely, I relaxed, and got my confidence going in the second half," said Garcia, who also had five rebounds, three assists and two blocks. FEU is the team considered to be the biggest thorn on Ateneo’s bid of a three-peat. But for coach Glen Capacio, the victory is just a realization on how tough the games are going to be played in this season’s tournament. “We still have to prepare against all teams in the UAAP. Whatever effort we had in this game, we have to double it in the next games," said Capacio. Reil Cervantes added 13 points and five rebounds while Smart-Gilas Pilipinas developmental team member Aldrech Ramos had 10 points and eight rebounds. Paul Sanga contributed nine points, all coming from beyond-the-arc, as the Tamaraws displayed balance firepower. The Blue Eagles, who only lost a game en route to winning their second straight title last season, lost their season-opening match for only the second time since 2005. The Blue Eagles had several chances of snatching a win over the Tamaraws, including their last offensive trip that opened up the lane for Nico Salva. But the team’s premier frontliner this season, muffed a potential game-tying basket as Cervantes secured the rebound. Cervantes split his charities with only four tenths of a second left for the final tally. It was a down-to-the-wire struggle for the two teams expected to dominate this season. Salva had 14 points while Ryan Buenafe chipped in 13 markers. Long finished with 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals while rookie forward Arthur dela Cruz Jr., son of former San Miguel Beer and current Barangay Ginebra assistant coach Art dela Cruz, had 10 points in a promising debut as a Blue Eagle. But the star of the show was definitely Garcia, who let loose crucial triples during crunch time to finish the job done for the Tamaraws. The Tamaraws joined early winners La Salle, University of Santo Tomas and Adamson in the win-column to share the lead in the first two play dates of this tournament. - RCJ, GMANews.TV