UAAP: Garcia's game-winner allows Tams to top Bulldogs

(Updated 7:24pm) While everyone kept their eyes focused on the replay, RR Garcia already knew the ball left his hand before the final buzzer. After a review by the referees, the rest of the FEU faithful joined him in celebration. The former MVP turned the ball over with seconds to go, but his teammates stole the ball right back and zipped it to a wide-open Garcia for the game-winning lay-up, handing the Far Eastern University Tamaraws the 77-75 win over the National University Bulldogs, Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, in the 75th season of the UAAP. “Heart attack game na naman. Low blood ako. Two days ako na-ospital after nung game sa Ateneo. Kulang sa tulog,” said FEU coach Bert Flores of their previous game, a 77-64 loss to the defending champion Blue Eagles. The victory allowed FEU to keep in step with the UST Growling Tigers, tied for second place at 8-3. NU on the other hand fell a half-game behind DLSU, with a 6-5 record, compared to the Archers' 6-4 card. The host team Bulldogs actually led heading into the final period, but FEU opened the period with a 7-0 run to knot the game, 8:38 left. Late in the game, an and-one play by Carl Bryan Cruz tied the game anew, but Bobby Ray Parks blocked Russel Escoto and went coast-to-coast for a monster jam to put NU up by a deuce, 71-69, 2:32 left to play. Escoto countered with a huge triple, but the Bulldogs edged ahead anew on split charities by Parks and Jeoffrey Javillonar, 73-72, 1:08 remaining. Garcia found Terrence Romeo for a triple, good for a two-point lead, just under a minute in the game, but Parks was there to tie the game again at 75-all with a pair of freebies, 19 seconds left. That led to the wild final sequence, which had everyone on the edge, until the refs confirmed that the ball left Garcia's hand by the smallest of fractions before time expired. “Kumpyansa na rin. Naisip din ni coach na sa akin yung last shot kase si Terrence, si Parks bumabantay eh. Malaki”, said Garcia. Parks and the ‘Dog Pack’ had the lead at the third quarter after drawing big plays from starting point guard Gelo Alolino. The former Perpetual Help Junior Alta scattered 10 points in the third canto, as the Bulldogs broke away from a 43-43 tie en route to a 58-51 third quarter ending. The win was sweet revenge for FEU, after they fell 61-57 to NU in their first round game last August 2. The Bulldogs crunched the Tams early, opening the first quarter with a 13-5 run capped off by a Gelo Alolino triple. NU looked like their summer league selves, hitting long-range bombs that drained their opponents’ spirit. FEU, however, fought back after fielding in reserve Russel Escoto, who dumped seven quick points against the Bulldogs, as FEU faced only a four-point deficit by the end of the first, 20-16 The Tams picked up the pace in the second quarter, this time owing to a strong performance by the 6’6” Anthony Hargrove, who opened the quarter with a jumper, before scoring on a variety of athletic moves to rack up nine points in total for the quarter. Former Rookie of the Year Terrence Romeo also flashed his offensive moxie late in the period, after a pump fake  that gave him an easy jumper and a sneaky put-back at the 0:58 mark. Romeo capped the quarter with a pair of free throws to give them a 35-29 halftime lead. Meanwhile, NU struggled to get contributions from their five on the floor, with triple-threat player Bobby Ray Parks carrying the entire team on his shoulders. Center Emmanuel Mbe was the only other Bulldog to post on the scoreboard, with an inside shot that inched them closer at 24-22. The Blue and Gold managed only nine points in the second quarter, which put them behind 35-29 at the break. By the half, Hargrove already had nine points, while Romeo and Escoto had seven apiece, as main man RR Garcia found himself glued to the bench with a gimpy ankle that resulted in slow, ineffective play. Rookie Alejandrino Inigo earned his miles, securing a lob pass in transition to one of Hargrove’s easy lay-ins. Garcia would score his first two points at the end of a 6-2 run which gave FEU a double-digit lead at 41-31, 7:59 left in the third, but the Bulldogs roared back at the Tams, going on a 9-2 run of their own after a triple by Alolino and an and-one play by parks that tied the game at 43-all. Big man Arvie Bringas served his UAAP-mandated suspension after a spitting incident during their second round encounter against the ADMU Blue Eagles. FEU however suspended him an additional game, which he will serve when they play UE next Saturday. “Yung ginawa niya, hindi maganda para sa FEU yun. Okay lang yung pisikal pero yung ganun na, hindi na tama”, said coach Flores of his burly forward. Terrence Romeo scored 20 points to lead the Tams, followed closely by Russell Escoto, and his career-best 18 markers. Escoto also pulled down eight rebounds. Anthony Hargrove added 13 points for FEU. Bobby Ray Parks tallied 26 to lead NU, the fourth time he's scored at least 20 markers in Season 75, while Gelo Alolino also put up a career-best 18 points.  - AMD, GMA News The scores: FEU 77 - Romeo 20, Escoto 18, Hargrove 13, Garcia 10, Mendoza 7, Pogoy 6, Cruz 3, Sentcheu 0, Inigo 0, Belo 0, M. Bringas 0 NU 75 - Parks 26, Alolino 18, Mbe 14, Javillonar 7, Villamor 6, Rono 2, De Guzman 2, Singh 0, Rosario 0, Neypes 0, Labing-isa 0, Betayene 0 Quarter scoring: 16-20, 35-29, 51-58, 77-75