Tamaraws crush Blue Eagles to seize solo lead

MANILA, Philippines — Far Eastern University trounced Ateneo, 93-70, to climb to solo first in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The Tamaraws rushed to their fourth straight win in the tournament, while dealing the Blue Eagles their second straight defeat. 

Mo Konateh stood tall for FEU with 29 points and 11 rebounds, to go with three blocks, two steals and two assists. Kirby Mongcopa added 19 markers, seven dimes and six boards to go with two steals. 

“Before the game today, the message was ‘Are we who we think we are?’… With that, is Mo who he think he is? I think he’s the best FSA here and he just continues to get better from three years ago to what he’s doing now,” said Tamaraws head coach Sean Chambers.

After trailing by seven at the half, Ateneo sliced the deficit to three, 43-46, in the early goings of the third quarter. 

But a 15-2 run capped by a Mongcopa jumper broke the game open, 61-45, with 4:53 left in the frame. 

This set the tone the rest of the way, as the Morayta-based squad continued to pounce through the fourth. 

The lead grew to 26, 86-60, with 4:45 remaining after a free throw by Luke Felipe as Ateneo’s attempts to storm back were turned back. 

Jorick Bautista added 14 points for FEU. 

Jared Bahay and Kieffer Alas paced Ateneo with 17 and 16 points, respectively. The former had seven assists, two rebounds and two steals, while the latter had five boards, four steals and three dimes. Shawn Tuano chipped in 13 points off the bench. 

The Tamaraws are now holding a 4-1 slate, while Ateneo dropped to 3-3.