THE FEU Tamaraws bounced back with a thrilling triumph over the defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles, 62-59, on an LJ Gonzales buzzer-beating logo trey in the 86th Season of UAAP on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Tamaraws found a way to bounce back after becoming the first win of the winless UST Growling Tigers to close the first round, as King Tamaraw veteran guard, LJ Gonzales, led the squad with a stat-filled effort of 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
The King Tamaraw made his presence felt right away, scoring 7 of his 19 points in the first quarter to seize control of the game early, closing the first quarter with a 15-9 lead against the Blue Eagles.
The Blue Eagles’ Ian Espinosa started the second quarter well, scoring back-to-back jumpers to cut the advantage to two, 13-15. Despite a poor start, the Blue Eagles went on a run in the second quarter and finished the half down by three points, 27-30.
The battle of runs continues in the third quarter, with the Tamaraws building what was then the largest lead of nine points with an 8-1 run.
Ateneo was able to erase the team’s comfortable lead after going on an 8-0 run of their own to narrow the score to 41-42 before Jorick Bautista nailed a perimeter jumpshot to conclude the third, 44-41.
With 6:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, LJ Gonzales shoots a three-pointer to provide the game’s largest advantage, 57-47. Thanks to the efforts of Ballungay, Koon, and Ian Espinosa, the Blue Eagles had launched another comeback.
Mason Amos, a Blue Eagles rookie noted for his clutch shooting, knotted the game at 59 with a triple that rimmed out but bounced right back in with 15.0 seconds left in the game.
Torres successfully inbound the ball to Gonzales with 3.9 seconds remaining. He then made his move at the top of the arc, evading Chris Koon by leaning in, and threw a one-handed logo lean-in buzzer-beating three to seal the victory.
“Lagi naman nireremind sa akin ni Coach Denok na ako ‘yung titira sa last shot, kaya miracle ‘yung nangyari siguro kasi hindi ko naman inaasahan na papasok eh. Nagpapasalamat ako kay God kasi ginabayan niya ako,” Gonzales remarked after scoring 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.
Patrick Sleat and Jorick Bautista finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively, alongside Gonzales. While Chris Koon and Mason Amos led the Blue Eagles with 14 and 11 scoring.
After losing every game against the Ateneo Blue Eagles over the previous five seasons, the Morayta-based university made it a point to be the first to sweep the reigning champs in the elimination stage.
The FEU Tamaraws will face the Adamson Soaring Falcons at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at 2 p.m. on Sunday. At 6 p.m., the Ateneo Blue Eagles will face their archrival UP Fighting Maroons in an early ‘Battle of Katipunan’ part 2.
Tickets for the two games will be sold separately.
