Wendell Comboy top-scored with 11 points for the Far Eastern University Tamaraws as they swamped an undermanned Adamson Falcons, 82-56, to forge a playoff for the last seat in the Final Four with La Salle in the 81st University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Tams, with Ken Tuffin and Arvin Tolentino scoring 10 points, finished tied at third, fourth and fifth places with the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons and the La Salle Green Archers, on similar 8-6 win-loss slate.
The Fighting Maroons, by virtue of a better quotient, got the no. 3 seeding and will clash with the Adamson Falcons in the Final Four on Saturday.
On the other hand, the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles will meet the winner between the FEU-La Salle playoff for the no. 4 seeding on Wednesday.
“We’re finally getting the breaks in the second round. Malaking bagay itong game na ito,” said FEU coach Olsen Racela.
Falcons’ main men Jerrick Ahanmisi and Sean Manganti were rested because of minor injuries and got 11 team-high points from Jeron Lastimosa as they ended the second round at no. 2 with their 10-4 card.
The Tams, getting 10 points from Tolentino in the first half, held the Falcons to just 10 points in the first 10 minutes, and coasted a 21-8 lead and into a 46-22 halftime spread.
Meanwhile, Troy Rike unloaded 17 points and had 13 rebounds for the National University Bulldogs as they closed out the season with a 79-71 beating of the University of the East Warriors.
The 6’7” Fil-American Rike, who initially played for Wake Forest University in North Carolina and was allowed to play for NU early this year, came off the bench in the second period, hitting 10 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 12-point halftime lead, 44-32.
The Bulldogs went on to post their first win after four straight losses and end the season with a 4-10 win-loss record.
Issa Gaye added 12 points for Bulldogs, who finished below their 5-9 win-loss performance last season.
“It was great to end the season with a win. The team and myself wish we had a better season than we did,” said the 22-year-old Rike on his final game with the Bulldogs.
Rike, after finishing his Masters Degree, is returning to the United States to be with his family in San Francisco, California.
