Alone at the top: Tolomia's heroics help Tamaraws outlast La Salle
The Far Eastern University Tamaraws are no longer just another team in the hunt for the UAAP title.
The Tamaraws took advantage of a late breakdown on defense by the De La Salle Green Archers to fashion out a 74-70 victory Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena and grab the solo lead in the standings.
Mike Tolomia led FEU with 22 points, five rebounds, and three assists, including crucial free throws and a layup with four seconds left that sealed the win for the Tamaraws, who also beat the Green Archers in the first round, 82-77.
Leading 69-62 with two minutes left in the game, the Tamaraws looked like their were en route to an easy victory but the defending champions refused to go quietly.
Baskets from Jeron Teng, Norbert Torres, and Almond Vosotros powered La Salle to a 6-0 run to cut their deficit down to a single point at 69-68 with 50 seconds left in the game.
Tolomia was fouled by Julian Sargent on the other end and he made both free throws to stretch their lead to three, 71-68, with 14.8 seconds left.
Teng scored on a drive to the basket to cut FEU’s lead down to a single point with 8.3 seconds to go.
Tolomia then stepped to the line to make a free throw. He missed his second but got the offensive rebound and drove to the basket for the game-clinching layup as inexplicably, no one among the Archers boxed him out after he missed.
With the win, the Tamaraws claimed solo first place with their 8-2 win-loss tally while the Green Archers fall to a triple tie at third place with Ateneo and National University with 7-3.
Teng had a monster performance with 28 points going 11-of-22 from the field while adding eight rebounds and four assists. Norbert Torres added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Jason Perkins added eight points, 11 rebounds, and five assists.
With Teng leading, the Green Archers took a 35-26 advantage at the half.
Teng led La Salle with 11 points and six rebounds while Perkins and Vosotros added a combined 11 in the first half.
The Tamaraws did not take long to overhaul the deficit as they knotted the score at 44-all halfway into the third quarter.
The Main Man: Mike Tolomia’s 22 point output was nothing out of the ordinary for him. However, he scored 19 of those in the second half when FEU made their run.
Honorable Mentions: Mark Belo backed up Tolomia with 11 points, eight rebounds, and two assists while Achie Inigo added 10 points and three rebounds.
Game Turning Point: Even if they were down by two points with 7 seconds left in the game, the Green Archers still had the chance to turn the game around sans a timeout. However, they allowed FEU to get an offensive rebound to all but seal the loss for the defending champions.
He Said It:
FEU head coach Nash Racela: La Salle is still not 100%. This isn't the La Salle we expected. I always believe in the potential of my team. I didn't know what to expect from mike today, after he was ill from the past weekend.
The scores
FEU 74: Tolomia 22, Belo 11, Inigo 10, Pogoy 7, Escoto 7, Jose 5, Cruz 4, Hargrove 4, Tamsi 4.
La Salle 70: Teng 28, Torres 13, Perkins 8, Vosotros 7, Van Opstal 5, Sargent 4, Montalbo 3, Rivera 3.
Quarters: 15-19, 26-35, 52-51, 74-70.
