Tams, Eagles hurdle rivals

It took Far Eastern University one big spurt in the first quarter to put away a lethargic National U side, 69-56, yesterday and firm up its hold of the No. 1 spot in the 66th UAAP basketball tournament at the Blue Eagle Gym.

The Tams, with Mark Isip firing 10 points and Caesar Catli tossing in eight, outscored the Bulldogs, 28-6, in the opening period which they used as a springboard to notch their eighth victory against a lone setback.

In contrast, defending champion Ateneo overcame a sputtering start to turn back Adamson, 69-55, to stretch its win run to seven and keep FEU within sight with a 7-2 card.

Wesley Gonzales scored all of his eight points in the first quarter but got involved in an ugly incident after the game when he reportedly slapped Falcon Mark Abadia at the back of the head. The uncalled-for action sparked a verbal tussle between the two as well as coaches Joel Banal of Ateneo and Luigi Trillo of Adamson.

The loss, Adamson’s fifth against four wins, dampened the Final Four bid by the Falcons.

Catli sizzled with four triples to finish with 20 points, including 11 in the first half when he teamed up with the high-leaping Isip in a blistering attack that virtually took the starch out of the Bulldogs.

But the Tams played erratic game in the second half as it turned the ball over 28 times and wound up with 44 errors that translated to 31 turnover points for NU.

In a stretch bridging the third and fourth quarters, the Tams were held scoreless but the Bulldogs failed to convert their shots during that FEU slump before Catli took charge again for the Morayta-based cagers.

The Tams’ game, however, didn’t sit well with coach Coy Banal.

"Ang ganda ng laro namin, ang daming turnovers," said Banal in jest. "Pero, siguro na-pressure ‘yung mga players sa akin. I was trying to raise the bar a little higher. I’m still pushing them even though we’re leading by a mile," he said.

Arwind Santos, the MVP statistical race leader after the first round, struggled for the second game in a row, chipping in only six markers in 23 minutes that he saw action.