Far Eastern University caught La Salle-and the rest of the league-off guard with its 90-78 win on Wednesday in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena.
The Tamaraws dragged the defending champions to a lopsided game from start to finish, with five players scoring in double figures.
‘We got in the gym, we got better, we pushed each other and sometimes, pain becomes one of your greatest teachers,’ said FEU coach Sean Chambers.
‘It felt like we just prepared for it after [playing against] UE, we were able to relax a bit and told the guys that we’ll start playing really good basketball after our first loss.’
Kirby Mongcopa paced the Tamaraws with 20 points while rookie Cabs Cabonilas came off the bench for 17 points and six rebounds.
Jorick Bautista fired 12 while Mo Konateh tallied a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds. Jedric Daa also scored 10.
Following their win, the Tamaraws created a five-way tie for the top seed nearing the midway through the first round.
Also sitting atop the standings are National University, University of the Philippines, Ateneo and University of Santo Tomas, who also hold identical 2-1 records.
La Salle, meanwhile, has dropped to the second-worst team in the early season, just above winless UE (0-4), with a 1-2 record.
Luis Pablo paced the Archers with 15 points, while Mason Amos and Doy Dungo scored 10 apiece.