Tams gut it out to oust Archers, make F4 cast

MANILA, Philippines — It was a roller-coaster ride but Far Eastern bravely fought on and made sure it came out on top in this most crucial of games.

The Tams, the first-round topnotcher who suffered an unexpected slide in Round 2 to find themselves on the brink of elimination, put up a gutsy performance to scrape past La Salle, 71-70, and reward themselves with a coveted ticket to the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball Final Four.

The celebration of their sixth consecutive F4 stint won’t be long, however, as the Tams forged a semis duel with high-flying No. 1 Ateneo on Sunday.

“I loved how this team battled through adversity the whole year,” said FEU coach Olsen Racela, whose wards had to win their last three elims matches to offset a four-game skid and force a rubbermatch with the Archers for the No. 4.

“I give it to the boys, they never gave up throughout the season. It was an up-and-down season for us, (we had a) four-game losing streak (in the second round) but they never gave up, they knew whatever happens, we’ll make it to the Final Four. Sila talaga ang nagdala sa akin ng kumpyansa,” he added.

FEU’s no-quit attitude was in full display in yesterday’s KO match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, as DLSU enjoyed a 70-66 cushion going to the last 1:03.

Kenneth Tuffin hit a long jumper to make it a two-point game then the Tams restored possession from a missed trey by DLSU’s Joaqui Manuel, and Arvin Tolentino cashed in on the golden opportunity and drilled in the go-ahead triple with 3.1 seconds left.

“Those remaining seconds typified our season of not giving up,” said Racela. “It’s just fitting we made the Final Four this way. During the game, we battled through adversity. Prince (Orizu) was in early foul trouble and we were down four in the last minute.”

La Salle managed to launch a last-second attempt but Santi Santillan couldn’t convert from close range, resulting in the Archers’ first ouster from the F4 since Season 78.

Tolentino finished with 15 points, five boards and two steals while Barkley Ebona had 12 and Tuffin added 11.

The scores:

FEU 71 – Tolentino 15, Ebona 12, Tuffin 11, Escoto 10, Comboy 8, Parker 7, Inigo 5, Cani 2, Orizu 1, Stockton 0, Gonzales 0, Bienes 0.

La Salle 70 – Santillan 20, Melecio 9, Caracut 9, Montalbo 7, Baltazar 6, Manuel 5, Samuel 4, Dyke 3, Go 3, Bates 2, Serrano 2.

Quarterscores: 22-21, 36-38, 54-51, 71-70.