Sean Chambers and the FEU Tamaraws finally get over the hump and are on the board in UAAP Season 87.
After six tries, first-time collegiate head coach Sean Chambers is finally a winner in the UAAP as the FEU Tamaraws manufactured an escape act against the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 66-65, in Season 87’s first overtime game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, September 29.
Flanked by a roster made up mostly of rookies, Chambers’ FEU survived a back-and-forth affair thanks to Jorick Bautista’s late-game heroics as he scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, getting the Morayta-based squad on the board this season.
[Related: Jorick Bautista catches fire in OT as FEU outlasts Ateneo for first win in UAAP Season 87]
Faced by a new system and young players, Chambers preached patience after some close calls in their 0-5 start. Now that they’ve got things going, it’s finally looking alright.
“We told you it's gonna take some time cause these guys are so young, they're still getting used to playing at this stage, and learning my system,” said Chambers.
“All of those losses I got to be man enough to take all of those, but I said last game that pretty soon, every team is gonna have a hard time playing against us,” the PBA great added.
Even before taking the victory against Ateneo on Sunday, FEU already looked like a challenging assignment for any team – they went toe-to-toe against defending champions La Salle earlier this week, and almost beat Season 86 Final Four team NU previously this season.
Now that they’ve proven their worth, the Tamaraws hope to be a pest for the rest of the year.
In their win over Ateneo, FEU flaunted its gutsy mindset as the Tamaraws battled late into the extra period, including tough makes from the free throw line to push the advantage to a two-possession lead, 66-62, with 5.1 ticks remaining.
The freebies – made by Mo Konateh, iced the game even as Shawn Tuano hit the last gasp triple that trimmed the winning margin to just a point, 66-65, at the buzzer.
Bautista was the protagonist of the game with his 18 markers, which he coupled with five rebounds, one assist, and a steal. Royce Alforque added 12 points, five rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
Konateh tallied a double-double with 10 markers and 18 boards and, more importantly, went 2-of-2 from the charity stripe when it mattered the most.
FEU thus hopes to carry the momentum from the big win when the team takes on the UST Growling Tigers on Saturday, October 5, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Meanwhile, Ateneo, who was led by Chris Koon with 12 points, hopes to rebound against the UE Red Warriors on Wednesday, October 2, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.