Tamaraws slam Final Four door on Bulldogs

Far Eastern University (FEU) likewise ended National U's (NU) Final Four dreams on Thursday.

The Tamaraws, with top MVP contender RR Garcia putting on a third-quarter shooting exhibition, repulsed the Bulldogs, 77-62, in the 73rd UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum. The win, FEU's 10th in 12 games to remain on top of the eight-team field, allowed the Morayta-based dribblers to put behind a stinging 80-66 defeat from the La Salle Green Archers last Sunday. Coach Glenn Capacio's wards only need to beat winless University of the Philippines on Sunday to clinch the twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals. The last time FEU topped the double elimination round was in 2005, the last time they won the UAAP crown. "We will try to take that twice-to-beat advantage against UP," said Capacio. "From now on, we will treat our games like we will go all out for the championship." FEU ends its elimination round campaign against defending champion Ateneo on September 11. "We're not thinking of Ateneo. For now, our focus is to win our next game," Capacio added. Garcia finished with 23 points behind a 5-of-9 shooting from downtown. The 5-foot-11 do-it-all guard had 11 points in the third where he bailed the Tamaraws out of trouble after allowing the Bulldogs to comeback from a 39-29 halftime deficit. Behind playmaker Joseph Terso and Cameroonian center Emmanuel Mbe, NU opened the third with a 14-2 blast to grab a 42-41 lead. The former later uncorked a triple for a 46-44 advantage with 4:47 left in the same period. Garcia then stepped up to lead the Tamaraws' offensive onslaught. He buried a tough jumper to tie the game then drained the go-ahead triple for a 49-46 lead then scored another difficult trey that went off the glass for a 59-52 count entering the fourth period. "He's our leader so it's usual that he has to save his team from trouble," said Capacio. FEU won despite allowing 23 fouls. NU, on the other hand, committed just seven, the lowest for a team in a single game since 2003. "We we're forced to play zone defense because we're in foul trouble and good thing we were successful," said Capacio. Aldrech Ramos finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and two blocks while Cameroonian Pipo Noundou also scored 11 for the Tamaraws. Terso finished with a career-high 18 points while adding four rebounds and five assists for the Bulldogs, who fall to 4-7. – JVP, GMANews.TV