Far Eastern University's Kirby Mongcopa and Janrey Pasaol. UAAP Media
MANILA — Far Eastern University (FEU) kept its slim hopes of clinching the last Final Four spot by escaping semis-bound University of Santo Tomas (UST), 81-79, in the UAAP Season 88 collegiate men's basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Tamaraws squandered a 21-point 46-25 halftime lead, as the Growling Tigers came alive in the second half. Gelo Crisostomo's two steals under the last minute almost completed the comeback, as he converted a basket on the first, and Mark Llemit pounced on the other, trimming the lead down to one 80-79 with two consecutive shots on fastbreaks.
Jorick Bautista split his trip to the charity line after a Llemit duty foul with two seconds left, as the Growling Tigers went scrambling for a Hail Mary from the other side to mark FEU's survival, maintaining their tournament bid alive and finish at 7-7.
Bautista, Mo Konateh, and Luke Felipe all chipped in 15 points each, as Janrey Pasaol and Kirby Mongcopa combined for 26 to banner the gold and green offense.
READ: UAAP: La Salle guns for Final 4 ticket, Ateneo fights for survival
Konateh and Mongcopa guarded the boards with 18 and 10 rebounds, respectively, while Pasaol made the plays and stepped up in the defense with 11 assists and five steals.
The Tamaraws now hope that Ateneo de Manila University (6-7) defeats De La Salle University (7-6) later in the day to force a two-way playoff for the last F4 berth.
A La Salle win later would seal the Green Archers' Final Four placement, ousting FEU and Ateneo in the process.
Meanwhile, Crisostomo tallied a season-high 28 points, almost paving the way for the UST comeback. UST finishes the elimination round with an 8-6 win-loss card, still securing the number three seed.
Today's playdate was the make-up for the postponed November 9 matches due to "Uwan."