FilOil: FEU tramples NCAA champs San Beda

The Far Eastern University Tamaraws ended the FilOil Flying V-Hanes Premier Cup eliminations round with a bang as they stymied the defending NCAA champions San Beda Red Lions, 89-79, on Saturday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Tamaraws are now the second-seeded team in the quarterfinals after charging to a perfect 6-0 record in Group B, as the quotient system forces them to be a close second to Group C linchpins CEU, who have racked up six victories as well.

Final seedings are yet to be determined, due to an on-going game as of posting.

The loss stains San Beda's record, as they finish the eliminations with a 5-1 slate. The Red Lions however have secured a quarterfinals slot as well after placing second in Group B.

Mike Tolomia registered a double-double with 25 points and 10 assists on top of six rebounds. The UAAP squad piled as much as 18 points on the NCAA champions, featuring an offense which made the extra pass and spaced the floor with shooters, as they sank seven three-pointers in the first half. The Red Lions crept within six, but their offense wilted against FEU's defense.

“They play a game similar to powerhouse La Salle. They like to attack the post, and this is a good test for us to play against bigger teams,” said FEU coach Nash Racela. “Anthony [Hargrove] was struggling. There were a lot of fouls on Hargrove, but there’s something we could learn and that’s getting better at defending.”

The Tamaraws imposed a zone on the Red Lions, forcing their wingmen to shoot from midrange while the Red Lions went mano a mano, though Ola Adeogun kept FEU out of the paint. Only Adeogun produced for the Red Lions as Kyle Pascual and Art Dela Cruz were rendered useless on the perimeter. Roger Pogoy started an 8-0 run which ended in two straight breakaway slams for Mac Belo, forcing San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez pressed for time, 15-9.

The Red Lions struggled to get back on defense while the Tams' shooters clicked as a triple from Mike Tolomia gave them an 11-point buffer, 22-11. FEU maintained the advantage until the end of the first frame, 24-13.

Frustration mounted on San Beda as they committed four turnovers by the 8:00 mark of the second period, two of them off offensive fouls. Far Eastern U meanwhile mounted its biggest lead at 18 after Archie Iñigo and Francis Tamsi caught fire from downtown, 33-15. The Red Lions failed to respect the Tamaraws from the perimeter as the UAAP squad continued to lead by double-digits after the second quarter, 48-35, as they totaled five-three-pointers in the 10-minute span.

After the break, San Beda roared out of the den, going on a 10-3 run to cut the deficit to seven points, 44-37, and forcing Coach Nash Racela to press for time. Anthony Hargrove was called for his third personal foul at the 8:23 mark. The Tams picked up the pace after the brief respite, led by Tolomia who scored seven points to bring his team back up by 16 after three quarters of play, 71-55.

The NCAA contingent again staged a comeback to open the fourth, paced by Ryusei Koga's 10 points as the Red Lions clawed within six, 77-71. The referees whistled for Anthony Hargrove's fifth foul though the Tams still kept their composure as four straight markers from Tolomia restored the lead to 10, 85-75, with 3:15 remaining. With no Hargrove, Coach Fernandez reinserted Adeogun but San Beda's leading scorer failed to get anything going against double-teams.

Far Eastern brought its lead back up to 10 after a stab by Raymar Jose, 89-79, with just 55 seconds remaining. Baser Amer air-balled a triple and San Beda could just not recover as the Tams dribbled out the win.

Mac Belo tallied 14 points and seven boards while Roger Pogoy chimed in with 10 of his own. The Tams recorded a 53 percent field goal percentage, with nine-of-19 attempts from downtown. The Tams converted 24 points off 18 San Beda miscues.

Adeogun had a double-double with 21 points and 15 boards, while Koga and Ranbill Tongco combined for 25 markers. The Red Lions struggled from deep, making only three of 23 tries. Amer was a non-factor, contributing only four points off 14 shots. Kyle Pascual also slumped with four points off seven shots, missing all his jumpers. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

FEU - Tolomia 25, Belo 14, Pogoy 10, Jose 8, David 7, Inigo 6, Escoto Russel 5, Cruz 4, Hargrove 4, Tamsi 3, Escoto Richard 2, Dennison 0, Denila 0, Lee Yu 0, Ugsang 0, Delfinado 0

SBC - Adeogun 21, Koga 15, Tongco 10, Dela Cruz 8, Mocon 6, Semerad D. 6, Ludovice 5, Amer 4, Pascual 4, Mendoza 0, Abatayo 0, Cabanag 0, Solera 0

Quarter scoring: 24-13, 48-35, 71-55, 89-79