Pogoy stars as FEU Tamaraws blitz UST Tigers in easy victory
The Far Eastern University Tamaraws joined the De La Salle Green Archers and Ateneo Blue Eagles with identical 7-2 records atop the UAAP standings after a 66-55 beat down of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, Saturday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena.
With the injured Kevin Ferrer not suiting up for the Tigers, the Tamaraws blitzed them with a searing start. They held on to this lead and only allowed the Tigers to get close when the game’s result was no longer in doubt late in the fourth quarter.
Led by RR Pogoy who had a career high of 19 points, the Tamaraws banked on a quick start and cruised their way to victory.
Karim Abdul tried to carry the Tigers back into the game as he scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. He got help from Louie Vigil who scattered 17 points, six rebounds, and two assists and Jamil Sheriff who had eight points, five rebounds, and seven assists but they didn’t get much from everyone else.
Largely absent from the game was UST captain Aljon Mariano who failed to score in 15 minutes on the floor. Ferrer on the other hand was nursing an injured wrist. The forward could miss UST's next few games.
The Tamaraws jumped on the slow-starting UST Tigers as they built a 24-7 lead after the first ten minutes of action. Pogoy led the Tamaraws' first quarter explosion with eight markers as he took full advantage of Ferrer's absence.
FEU’s lead ballooned to 22 points, 33-11, after Mac Belo scored on a basket halfway through the second quarter.
Abdul dropped 10 points in the second period to carry the fight for UST but they still faced a 42-25 deficit after the first 20 minutes.
The Tamaraws shot 56% from the field during the first half while UST only managed to make 33% of their shots. FEU oustscored UST in bench points 17-0.
UST head coach Bong dela Cruz challenged his team, especially his captain Aljon Mariano to fight back in the third quarter and bring the FEU’s lead down to ten points to start the fourth.
They were on pace to do just that as they trimmed the Tamaraws’ lead down to 15 points with a few minutes still left in the third. However, Pogoy led a 10-0 blast for FEU to extend their lead to its biggest at 58-33.
The Tamaraws cruised to victory after that point as FEU relied on its bench warmers to finish the game.
The Main Man: Pogoy scored a career-high 19 points in the game including five during FEU’s back-breaking third quarter run.
Honorable Mentions: Belo scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds for FEU while Achie Inigo and Raymar Jose chipped in a combined 16 points.
Game Turning Point: FEU’s hot start was simply too much for the Tigers to overcome. However, they still had a glimmer of hope in the third when they rallied to bring the lead down to 15 points. But FEU’s 10-0 reply took UST out of the game for good.
He Said It:
FEU head coach Nash Racela: Under the weather si Mike [Tolomia] but our defense keyed that strong start. We emphasize on how we focus on ourselves as a team.
Scores:
FEU (66) - Pogoy 19, Belo 12, Inigo 8, Jose 8, Escoto 5, Hargrove 5, Tolomia 4, Dennison 2, Tamsi 2, Ugsang 1, Cruz 0, Denila 0, David 0, Lee Yu 0, Delfinado 0.
UST (55) - Abdul 24, Vigil 17, Sheriff 8, Daquioag 4, Basibas 2, Lao 0, Mariano 0, Pe 0, Subido 0, Lo 0.
Quarters: 24-7, 42-25, 59-37, 66-55.
