MANILA — Far Eastern University tightened the already volatile chase for the UAAP Season 88 Final Four after stunning De La Salle University, 84-83, in a wire-to-wire thriller highlighted by the Tamaraws’ poise in the game’s most pressure-packed minute at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Instead of the usual narrative of survival, FEU reframed the Final Four picture by directly threatening La Salle’s hold of the No. 4 seed, pulling to within a single game and injecting fresh chaos into the playoff race.
Rookie revelation Kirby Mongcopa delivered the decisive blow — a cold-blooded go-ahead layup off a perfectly timed dish from Janrey Pasaol with 26.2 seconds left for an 84-83 edge. FEU then locked down on defense, denying the Green Archers any clean look in the dying seconds.
“We are super grateful to just be in this stage and be able to be in this place. We also wanna say La Salle is a championship team and when I left the house today, I kept saying to myself we have to beat one of the big teams this tournament in order for us to finally arrive,” said FEU head coach Sean Chambers, whose young squad has now won back-to-back games.
The victory pushed the Tamaraws to 5-7, putting them firmly in striking range of the Final Four. La Salle, meanwhile, slipped to 6-5, its cushion reduced to a fragile one-game lead.
Pasaol fueled FEU with 17 points and seven assists, while Mo Konateh chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds. Jorick Bautista scored all 12 of his points in the second half, and Jedric Daa added 10.
Mongcopa, who finished with a near triple-double — 10 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block — said the Tamaraws fed off Chambers’ fire.
“Grabe rin ‘yung preparation namin sa practice. Si Coach Sean, nakita namin sa practice na sobrang focused niya and ‘yung galit niya sa amin pinapakita niya sa amin na kaya namin. Binigay lang namin ang best namin,” he said.
FEU must now sweep its remaining assignments — UE on Saturday and UST on Nov. 26 — to keep its semifinal bid alive.
La Salle was led by Earl Abadam’s 18 points, while Jan Macalalag and Michael Phillips each tallied 14, with Phillips hauling down a massive 19 rebounds. Luis Pablo and Jacob Cortez contributed 11 and 10, respectively.
In the second game, defending champion University of the Philippines moved closer to securing the No. 2 twice-to-beat edge after a 70-65 victory over Adamson University. Francis Nnoruka and Gerry Abadiano scored 16 apiece as the Fighting Maroons avenged their first-round loss./PN
