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Tamaraws survive in OT, hand Blue Eagles 2nd loss

Terrence Romeo of FEU unleashes a jumper against Ateneo.

This early, things seem to be falling in the right place for Far Eastern University. The same, however, can’t be said of five-time defending champion but short-handed Ateneo.

The Tamaraws outlasted the Kiefer Ravena-less Blue Eagles 79-75 Wednesday night to gain the solo lead in UAAP Season 76 action at the MOA Arena.

After wasting an 11-point cushion in the early fourth canto and getting dragged into an extra five-minute period, FEU refused to crumble and uncorked a telling 6-2 closeout to hold off the stubborn Ateneo crew, which sorely missed the services of the 6-foot Ravena who is out indefinitely due to a sprained right ankle.

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The thrilling victory–coming on the heels of their equally stunning 89-78 win over pre-season favorite University of the East last Saturday–powered the Tamaraws to a 2-0 start while sending the Blue Eagles to a second straight loss.

Ateneo, which suffered a 54-64 loss against National University last Sunday, is off to its worst start since also dropping its first two outings to open the 2003 season.

Terrence Romeo struggled from the field but still tallied with a team-high 21 points, 12 off the charity stripe, plus nine rebounds while guards Mike Tolomia added 16 markers and RR Garcia had 13 for the Tamaraws.

Going down the drain along with Ateneo’s loss was Ryan Buenafe’s career-best of 29 points plus a game-high 15 rebounds.
 
The Main Man: After going scoreless in the fourth canto, Romeo came up big in the extra period, firing away six of his 21 points, including the team’s final four points.

The 5-foot-10 guard also came up with a team-best nine rebounds and three steals, the last off Nico Elorde which led to two canned freebies that gave FEU more breathing room at 77-73 with 18.9 seconds left.
 
Honorable Mention: With the defense focused on Romeo and Garcia, Tolomia turned into a silent assassin.

The third-year guard contributed 16 big points, including seven in a big third-quarter surge by FEU highlighted by a buzzer-beating triple off a step-back move against Von Pessumal.

The 5-foot-11 Tolomia also did a splendid job defensively in hounding Ateneo guards Nico Elorde and Juami Tiongson, who were held down to a combined 16 points on a 4-of-20 shooting from the field.
 
Game Turning Point: Even without Ravena, the Blue Eagles refused to just roll die and die, clawing back from a 44-55 deficit early in the fourth, forcing the overtime off Chris Newsome’s two made freebies late in regulation and forging a 73-all count courtesy of Tiongson’s two charities with under a minute left to play.

The Tamaraws, however, banked on their defense to pull this win out, with Roger Pogoy scoring an easy lay-in off a steal against Buenafe for a two-point lead.

In the ensuing play, Romeo stole the leather from Elorde, who was forced to give up a pre-emptive foul. The fourth-year FEU guard coolly sank the free throws for a four-point lead.
Then Gwynne Capacio and Romeo traded freebies that pegged the final count.
 
They Said It:
 
FEU coach Nash Racela: “We’re just fortunate we were able to get the win. Simula pa lang ‘yan. It’s not how you start but how you finish.”
 
The scores:
 
FEU (79) - Romeo 21, Tolomia 16, Garcia 13, Pogoy 8, Hargrove 8, Cruz 5, Mendoza 4, Jose 2, Belo 2, Sentcheu 0.

Ateneo (75) - Buenafe 29, Newsome 17, Elorde 9, Tiongson 7, Pessumal 6, Erram 4, Capacio 3, Murphy 0, Golla 0, Babilonia 0, Asistio 0.

Quarterscores: 14-18; 31-33; 53-44; 66-66; 79-75 (OT).