MANILA, Philippines – Far Eastern University leaned on a strong offensive showing from Mark Belo to thwart host University of the East, 73-63, in the 77th UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on Wednesday.
Belo rifled in 21 points while Mike Tolomia and Anthony Hargrove chipped in 14 and 13 markers, respectively, to power the Tamaraws to a 3-1 (win-loss) record.
The Morayta-based squad also grabbed a piece of the lead, tying Ateneo and NU at the top of the standings.
The Warriors’ pressing defense caught the Tamaraws by surprise, with UE leading by as many as 13 points early in the first half. But FEU slowly chipped away at the deficit, eventually cutting it to 31-32 by halftime.
The game featured a nip-and-tuck affair in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors could not keep up with the Tamaraws as the former had costly turnovers and gave up offensive rebounds.
Paul Varilla paced the Red Warriors with 12 markers while Bong Galanza added 11 points in a losing effort for UE, absorbed its second loss against the same number of wins.
The win was the Tamaraws ninth straight against the Warriors.