Tamaraws edge Bulldogs on Garcia's buzzer-beater
But NU places game under protest
Far Eastern University survived another end-game thriller, thanks to RR Garcia.
The ace FEU shooting guard made the game-winning lay-up with just a tenth of a second left as the Tamaraws got away with a nail-biting 77-75 win over National University Sunday night to forge a tie for second spot in the UAAP Season 75 men’s basketball action at the MOA Arena.
After Garcia fumbled the leather against Mark de Guzman, the Bulldogs nearly had the chance to steal the game but failed to hold on the leather, leaving Roger Pogoy to throw a mid-court pass to an unguarded Garcia, who soared for the lay-up right before the buzzer sounded.
“Bago pinasa sa’kin pinasa ni Pogoy ‘yung bola, nakita ko mga two seconds pa. since malapit ako, ako na ang nagtapos,” recalled Garcia, the 2010 MVP who scattered eight of 10 points in the payoff period along with a game-high nine assists. “Nagkataon nagkagulo sila tapos sumakto rin ‘yung pasa ni Pogoy.”
Garcia’s late-game heroics enabled FEU to bounce back from a stinging 64-77 defeat inflicted by Ateneo last Wednesday and catch up University of Santo Tomas at second with an 8-3 mark.
The Bulldogs, led by reigning MVP Ray-Ray Parks with 26 points, nine boards and six assists, dropped to fifth spot with a 6-5 mark but put the game under protest by signing on the score sheet “to signify their intention of filing a formal protest,” according to UAAP commissioner Ato Badolato.
Shifty Terrence Romeo topscored with 20 points while forward Russel Escoto, getting more minutes with the absence of rugged center Arvie Bringas who served the first of his two-game suspension, sparkled with a career-best 18 markers but it was clearly Garcia who put the Tamaraws out of the woods.
“MVP naman siya kaya may tiwala talaga ko. Mataas na rin ‘yung experience niya,” noted FEU coach Bert Flores, who was hospitalized for two days due to low blood pressure and failed to conduct his team’s workouts.
“Heart attack game na naman. Maganda ‘yung execution nu’ng endgame pati ball movement. Na-limit rin namin si Parks. Importante rin talaga ‘tong panalo ngayon,” he added.
Exploding for 29 points in the third canto, the Bulldogs enjoyed a 58-51 cushion but the Tamaraws reeled in seven straight points to start the fourth and both teams went back and forth from then on.
A split by Jeoffrey Javillonar put NU ahead 73-72 but Romeo, thanks to a kickout pass from Garcia, drilled in a go-ahead trey with 53 seconds left. Both squads traded blows before Parks, driving hard to the basket, was fouled by Romeo and tied the game for the last time at 19.7 seconds left, setting up the wild wind-up where Garcia came through.
