Tamaraws conquer Maroons for second straight win
FEU clinched their victory through a close against the UP Fighting Maroons, 51-49 at Smart Araneta Coliseum, Sunday.
The Tamaraws jacked up the standings to 3-2 after beating University of the East Red Warriors last week.
Both teams made strong efforts at the beginning of the first quarter. Dave Moralde of the Fighting Maroons opened the match under 6 minutes left, 2-0, and ended the tough quarter at 5-4, in favor of UP.
It was a low-scoring affair in the first half, 20-15, in favor of FEU. Fighting Maroons Paul Desiderio and Jett Manuel tried to edge the Tamaraws scoring five points apiece in the Third Quarter.
In the last quarter, John Española of UP electrified the crowd with his easy two, leaving the Maroons with one shot behind Tamaraws.
A lay-up by Ron Dennison extended FEU’s lead to the three points but received a disqualifying foul after he hit Desiderio in the mid-section just three minutes before the end of the game.
Nigerian center Prince Orizu came to the Tamaraw’s rescue; turning the game into a chess match within the last two minutes. Orizu blocked the Jarrell Lim’s shot after Lim rebound the ball from the Tamaraw court.
Monbert Arong led the FEU with 14 points, while Orizu had 15 rebounds. Desiderio scored 15 points, while Manuel finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for UP.
The Fighting Maroons, behind six teams in the standings, are still pinning their hopes on improving their standing in their next game.
UP will face the Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at the Mall of Asia Arena.###
