By Jun Ray Navarres
Far Eastern University upset the De La Salle University, 84-83, in a thrilling UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, securing a massive victory that kept their Final Four hopes alive.
Rookie Kirby Mongcopa emerged as the hero for the Tamaraws, draining the crucial go-ahead basket with just 27 seconds left on the clock to seal the improbable upset.
Mongcopa impressively contributed a near triple-double to the winning effort, tallying 10 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in the close encounter.
“Grabe rin ‘yung preparation namin sa practice. Si Coach Sean (Chambers), nakita namin sa practice na sobrang focused niya and ‘yung galit niya sa amin pinapakita niya sa amin na kaya namin. Binigay lang namin ang best namin,” said Mongcopa.
With 45 seconds remaining and the score tied at 82-82, Mike Phillips drove hard to the basket, drawing a foul and splitting his free throws to put La Salle up 83-82.
On the ensuing possession, FEU veteran Janrey Pasaol took the inbound and deftly found the cutting Mongcopa, who executed a strong move past his defender.
Mongcopa then calmly finished with a gutsy left-handed layup over Phillips, snatching the lead back for FEU, 84-83, with 27 ticks on the game clock.
DLSU called a timeout to design their final play, but they struggled to get a clean look against the Tamaraws’ suffocating defense. JC Macalalag’s heavily contested three-point attempt as the buzzer sounded rimmed out, preventing the Green Archers from completing their spectacular fightback.
“We are super grateful to just be in this stage and be able to be in this place. We also wanna say La Salle is a championship team and when I left the house today, I kept saying to myself we have to beat one of the big teams this tournament in order for us to finally arrive,” said head coach Chambers.
Pasaol led FEU’s scoring with 17 points and seven assists, receiving solid backup from Mo Konateh, who added 14 points, and Jorick Bautista, who chipped in 12.
This tight, back-and-forth contest saw the Tamaraws squander an initial large advantage after holding a 10-point lead heading into halftime.
The Green Archers were able to mount a successful rally thanks to co-captain Earl Abadam’s game-high 18 points and a dominating 14-point, 19-rebound performance from big man Mike Phillips. However, it was proven insufficient as they absorbed their second straight loss.
This crucial win improves FEU’s record to 5-7, maintaining their slim aspirations for a spot in the Final Four.
Conversely, the heartbreaking loss drops La Salle’s standing to 6-5 in the highly competitive league standings.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP Media Bureau
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