Romeo topscored with 12 points to share scoring honors with Sanga
“Nung Juniors ako meron na rin akong dinaramdam sa La Salle dahil sila rin naglaglag samin, kaya gusto ko talaga sila bawian.” -Terrence Romeo
For the first time since 2005 (eventually winning the crown that year), the Tamaraw squad returns to UAAP Men’s Basketball finals after an overtime semis demolition of La Salle, 69-59 Thursday at the Big Dome.
Despite questionable calls by the referees, resulting to FEU’s Jr Cawaling being thrown out of the game early on in the second period and Coach Glenn Capacio earning his own technical foul at the third, the more experienced Tams still prevailed over determined rookie-laden Archers.
DLSU was leading, 52-49 barely 2:32 minutes left in the fourth canto until a Romeo’s cold-blooded three (1st 3pts. shot of FEU) that tied the game at 52 apiece. La Salle’s Yutien Andrada and Jovet Mendoza, contributed three points from the free throw line to get the lead back into three, 55-52. Quiet for most part with just 30 ticks away, Paul Sanga who is in his last playing year in the UAAP broke his silence with a long triple (biggest shot of the game) to level the count at 55-all to set up the extra period.
At the end of the regulation, FEU found the hero again in this season’s Rookie of the Year, Terrence Romeo who knocked in another big three-pointer in the last three minutes of the overtime period, which proved to be the turning point for the Tamaraws, earning the lead at 62-59.
Finally, there’s no better way to seal the come-from-behind win other than a Pipo Noundou slam dunk in the last 11 seconds of play that stirred the FEU crowd up on their feet at the Araneta Coliseum, including our very own FEU President Lydia Echauz and FEU chair Dr. Lourdes Montinola.
Romeo who once scored 83 points in a single game for the FEU Baby Tams stresses in the post-game interview that he really wanted to play in the finals, saying he was all confident with his shots. League MVP RR Garcia has also said, “I’m happy for Terrence. Talagang nag-step up siya. Hindi ako maka-shoot kasi nasa akin ang focus ng depensa nila (La Salle).”
FEU is now only two wins away from an unprecedented 20th crown – the most basketball championship, a UAAP school has ever had. The Tams’ finals opponent depends on the outcome of the Adamson-Ateneo final four match up on Sunday, September 19 still at the Big Dome. Three-peat seeker Ateneo Blue Eagles (#2) who has the twice-to-beat edge is favored to win the game considering that the Falcons (#3) has never won against them since September 18, 1997 or for 27 consecutive games.
Facts: FEU’s 2005 championship year and this year’s (2010) achievement so far, is strikingly the same as per records are concern. In both years, they had the same elimination round finish (12-2), where the two losses of FEU was against the 3rd and 4th seeded team - FEU has never been beaten by the 2nd ranked team plus, both year’s season MVP came from FEU, Arwind Santos in 2005 and RR Garcia this year.
Déjà vu? WE BELIEVE!
The Scores:
FEU 69 - Romeo 12, Sanga 12, Garcia 11, Ramos 9, Cervantes 9, Noundou 8, Mendoza 2, Bringas 2, Knuttel 2, Exciminiano 2, Cruz 0, Cawaling 0
DLSU 59 - Webb 15, Mendoza 7, Atkins 7, Andrada 7, Tolentino 6, Marata 6, Dela Paz 5, Vosotros 2, Tampus 2, Villanueva 2, Paredes 0, Ferdinand 0
Quarter scoring: 20-12, 26-32, 40-44, 55-55, 69-59 (OT)
