Tamaraws keep Red Warriors at the cellar

Far Eastern University rebounded from another slow start to outclass University of the East, 66-47, in the 74th UAAP men’s basketball tournament Thursday at the Araneta Coliseum. The Tamaraws improved to 2-1 as they bounced back from a 78-59 loss to Adamson last July 16. FEU outscored UE in the second quarter, 24-9, to enter the halftime break with a 30-21 lead after allowing the Red Warriors enjoy an early 12-2 first quarter advantage. The Tamaraws were never threatened after that and even posted a 45-28 spread after three quarters. But FEU coach Bert Flores said that rebounding remains to be missing in the Tams' arsenal after allowing the smaller Red Warriors post a 24-17 advantage in the battle of the boards in the first half. UE finished with a slim 48-46 advantage in rebounds. "We're trying to work on our rebounding. We were outrebounded in the first half, good thing we picked things up in the second half so we were able to dictate the temp of the game," said Flores after the game. Chris Exciminiano led the Tamaraws' scoring with 12 points while also having four steals and two blocks. Cris Tolomia finished with nine points and 12 rebounds. Tolomia's putback, with six minutes and six seconds left in the game capped FEU's 10-0 run for a 55-30 Tamaraws lead. The Red Warriors remained winless in three games and will be hoping to pull off a monumental upset when they face league-leading Ateneo on Saturday. John Noble had 11 points while Adrian Santos had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Red Warriors. - Reuben Terrrado/JVP, GMA News