Tams silence JRU Bombers, reach Final 8

Far Eastern U used a fluid offensive game to overpower NCAA runner-up Jose Rizal, 84-75, yesterday and crash into the quarterfinal round of the 2008 Philippine Collegiate Champions League at The Arena in San Juan City.

Mark Andy Barroca spearheaded FEU’s attack with 19 points while Riel Cervantes, BJ Fernandez and Mac Baracael scored 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Tams, who made it through the Zonal qualifiers.

FEU, a semifinalist in the UAAP this year, will have its run-and-gun game tested in the quarters as it faces a Letran side which thrives on defense. Earlier, the Knights bundled out the last of the provincial qualifiers, beating San Sebastian-Cavite, 85-70, to complete the quarterfinal cast.

“We know that Letran is a physical team, we just have to be extra patient and stay cool for us to have a chance at beating them,” said FEU coach Glen Capacio.

Other teams in the quarterfinal round are UAAP champion Ateneo, NCAA three-peat titlist San Beda, La Salle, Mapua, University of the East and Arellano U.

The event, which gathered the country’s top collegiate schools, is sponsored by Smart, PLDT, Fil-Oil, Flying V, KFC, Adidas, Accel, Greenwich and The Philippine STAR.

The Tams’ top gunners hit their marks from the outside as they buried eight triples as against the Bombers’ two with the former playing more as a team with 21 assists compared to just 10 by the Mandaluyong-based squad.

The Bombers played with coach Ariel Vanguardia, who was ejected less than three minutes gone in the second quarter for misconduct.

But the Bombers rallied behind the loss of their coach and even overcame double-digit deficits to close within, 46-47, early in the third period.

The Tams, however, regrouped in defense and started dominating the lane to regain control of the contest the rest of the way.