As the Tamaraws find their form, FEU coach Sean Chambers promised different results in second round of the season.
The FEU Tamaraws have found their jive in UAAP Season 87 as they now have their first win streak of the year, beating the NU Bulldogs, 65-58, in their Round 2 meeting at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.
After starting the season 0-5, the Tamaraws have now won three of their last four games — and for head coach Sean Chambers, it hardly comes as a surprise.
“I don't want to sound like a broken record. But like I said a couple weeks back, this second round of the season is going to be a lot different for us.” he said.
Even as they waited six games before getting on the board in the first round, there were some flashes of brilliance from the Morayta team. But as his young players have slowly garnered experience, they’re enjoying more and more success.
“We're getting comfortable, we're getting acclimated. We're starting to understand our desires, our goals, and our focus on our game plan.” said Chambers.
Against the Bulldogs, FEU showed composure especially in the endgame as they staved off an NU team that beat them in the first round. In a nip-and-tuck affair, they stood tall behind the offense of Royce Alforque and Jorick Bautista.
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Bautista was the second leading scorer for the Tamaraws behind Mo Konateh, finishing with 17 points. Meanwhile, Aforque chipped in nine markers — four of which came late in the fourth quarter to fend off the Bulldogs.
But for Chambers, he was especially proud of how they’ve turned out defensively.
“It's starting with the defensive effort, we've changed some things up on our defense, and I have to say, starting with these two guys (Alforque and Bautista), they're leading the way on how we're defending compared to the beginning of the season.” he said.
Still, Chambers fell short of claiming that it’s time for the Tamaraws to rise in Season 87. Rather, he simply promised that they’ll compete and will go at it with everything but the kitchen sink for the rest of the year.
“We're still a young team, but we're a very talented team… And like we said, bawi lang. We're coming after everybody moving forward, we're coming after everybody.” said Chambers.
FEU will have to buck a lengthy layoff due to a schedule change. They play again on October 27 against the UST Growling Tigers to vie for their third straight victory.