MANILA, Philippines - Carl Cruz banged in all of his nine points in the fourth quarter and in overtime as Far Eastern U outlasted National U, 74-70, to improve to 6-2 in the UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum yesterday.
After forcing overtime at 65 on a fade-away, Cruz sustained his form in extra period, hitting a clutch looper that gave the Tams a 72-68 cushion going to the last 19.3 seconds.
The Bulldogs sliced it to a single basket off an Alfred Aroga undergoal stab but Mac Belo cashed in on his two charities to seal the victory, 74-70, 6.4 seconds left.
Belo finished with a career-high 23 markers and 10 rebounds while Mike Tolomia shot 18 points with five assists as FEU won its third straight match dating back to the end of the first round, including a 71-62 over NU eight days ago.
The Bulldogs fell to 5-3, just one game ahead of joint fifth University of the East and Santo Tomas.
A more satisfied FEU coach Nash Racela showed up for the post-game interview, in contrast to the unhappy mentor who had rued his wards’ inconsistencies following their bland 71-62 win over Adamson last Wednesday.
“The good thing about this inconsistency is when we play tougher teams, they deliver. Again what we want is for us to play (the same) regardless who we’re playing. We’re just asking for consistency, malapit na siguro (it will come soon),” said Racela.
The win put the Tams closer to the top.