UAAP: FEU wallops UST, 81-66

Games Sunday (Ninoy Aquino Stadium) 2 p.m. - National University vs University of the Philippines 4 p.m. - Ateneo de Manila University vs University of the East

UAAP Men's Basketball STANDINGS ADMU 2 0 DLSU 2 0 UE 2 0 FEU 1 1 NU 1 1 ADU 0 2 UP 0 2 UST 0 2 Defending champion University of Santo Tomas (UST) absorbed its second straight defeat in the 70th University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men's basketball tournament after being manhandled by the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 81-66, in the second game of a UAAP double-header at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. With the loss, the Tigers fell deeper in the men's standings with a 0-2 win-loss record, in a tie with the Adamson Falcons and University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons. The Tamaraws, UAAP three-peat champs from 2003 to 2005, improved at 1-1. The Tigers were never in the game as they were completely dominated by an FEU squad eager to bounced back from a sorry loss to the National University (NU) on opening day last July 7. FEU was relentless in the first half scoring on putbacks, three-pointers and easy drives to the hoop to take a 41-23 lead at the half. After the halftime break, Santo Tomas tried to make a run in efforts of overhauling the big deficit, even cutting the lead to just 15 points, 48-33, with less than five minutes left in the third. But the Tamaraws always has an answer against the Tigers, eventually taking the third canto via a score of 61-43. In the fourth and final period, FEU - starring big men Alredo Gerrila, Sonny Abaring and forward Marnel Baracael – led as much as 26 points, 72-46, after they unleashed an 11-3 run at the start of the fourth. However, things got a little interesting late in the fourth after UST unleashed a mild run that cut FEU's big lead to just nine points, 72-63, with the last point coming from 6'4" big man Jervy Cruz via the charity stripe with under three minutes left, sending the Thomasian faithful into a frenzy. The 6'2" guard Mark Canlas, star point-guard Japs Cuan and Khazim Mirza, were also instrumental in the game as they score on three point shots and fastbreak layups. However, the run was short lived as FEU, under head coach and former PBA pro Glenn Capacio, close out the game with a 9-3 run, putting the final score at 81-66. In the second game, De La Salle showed its dominance after whipping a hapless Adamson Falcons squad, 99-75, in the first game. - GMANews.TV