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Axel Iñigo and FEU almost blew a 10-point lead but held their nerve and kept UE winless. |
By Ricky Manliguis
QUEZON
CITY-- No Wendell Comboy and Richard Escoto.
No
Problem for Far Eastern University.
Bucking
the absence of its top players due to injuries, the Tamaraws managed to cruise
past University of the East, 67-59, to get back in the groove in Season LXXIX
of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament Sunday at the Big Dome.
Monbert
Arong and Axel Iñigo picked up the void left by Comboy with a combined 28-point
output, while veteran Raymar Jose tallied a double-double as the defending
champions bounced back from a 71-76 loss to Ateneo last week.
Arong
and Iñigo accounted for 18 of FEU’s first-half output to build a 10-point lead,
42-32, at the half.
The
Red Warriors, however battled back, pulling to within three, 62-59, on a Clark
Derige trifecta. But Wilson Bartolome committed an unsportsmanlike foul
for elbowing Ron Dennison, sealing its doom for the still winless UE.
The
six-foot Arong finished with 16 points five rebounds, and four assists, while
Iñigo picked up 12 and five boards. Jose had 11 points and a game-high 22
rebounds for FEU for his double-double, now with an even 2-2 win-loss card and
tied with idle University of Santo Tomas.
UE
now tied University of the Philippines with a 0-3 card. Mark Anthony Olayon
paced the team with 12 points, even as Derige scored nine.
The
scores:
FEU 67 - Arong 16, Iñigo 12, Jose 11,
Bayquin 6, Dennison 5, Trinidad 4, Holmqvist 4, Ebona 4, Tuffin 3, Orizu 2,
Bienes 0.
UE 59 - Olayon 12, Derige 9, Bartolome 6, Palma 6, Charcos 5, Pasaol 5, Varilla
4, Manalang 3, Abanto 3, Batiller 3, De Leon 2, Acuno 1, Armenion 0, Larupay 0,
Gagate 0.
Quarterscores:
19-15, 42-32, 55-46, 67-59.
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