21 November 2018
By Maxine Louise Lagman
Manila, Philippines – With only 3.1 seconds left on the clock, Jasper Parker saw an open Arvin Tolentino for a game-winning triple that completed their fate.
The sea of Far Eastern University crowd erupted into cheers as they nabbed the fourth and final spot in the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament after defeating De La Salle University, 71-70, on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With the victory, the Tamaraws will then face No. 1 seed Ateneo De Manila University in the semifinals on Sunday. This will also be the fourth consecutive year that these teams will match against each other in the semis.
It was a tough match to watch from the get-go as both teams just took turns taking the lead all throughout the game.
Though in the final minute, La Salle looked to book their way to the semis easily after leading four points, 70-66, after an Aljun Melecio lay-up.
FEU team captain Kenneth Tuffin answered back with his own to cut the deficit to two, 68-70.
La Salle strengthened their defense, but Parker saw Tolentino at the right spot and passed the ball to the veteran for a triple.
Tolentino, with time running out and his opponents slowly closing him in, shot the ball just at the right moment to put his team at a rather comfortable one-point lead, 71-70.
Little did they know, it was the winning shot that placed FEU at the Final Four for the sixth straight UAAP season as Santi Santillan missed the basket for La Salle.
Tolentino paved the way for FEU with 15 points bankes on three triples, while Barkley Ebona added a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double for the win.
On the other hand, graduating Santillan was the lone Green Archer who finished with a double-digit record of 20 markers on top of six boards as the Green Archers finished their campaign with an 8-7 win-loss record.
The Scores:
FEU 71 – Tolentino 15, Ebona 12, Tuffin 11, Escoto 10, Comboy 8, Parker 7, Inigo 5, Cani 2, Orizu 1, Stockton 0, Gonzales 0, Bienes 0
LA SALLE 70 – Santillan 20, Melecio 9, Caracut 9, Montalbo 7, Baltazar 6, Manuel 5, Samuel 4, Dyke 3, Go 3, Bates 2, Serrano 2
QUARTER SCORES: 22-21, 36-38, 54-51, 71-70
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