FEU guard Jorick Bautista is fully aware of the chatter about the Tamaraws being one of the contenders in UAAP Season 89.
The Tamaraws are starting to show with their recent surge, highlighted by back-to-back wins over title favorites, after dropping their season-opener against Adamson. They beat last year’s runner-up University of the Philippines on Sunday just four days after stunning defending champion La Salle.
‘For me, this was our answer to a wake-up call,’ Bautista said after helping FEU’s 90-79 victory, its third in a row for a share of the early lead in the standings at 3-1.
‘A lot of people on social media are saying that FEU is a strong team, so I talked to my teammates about it in practice.’
Baustista stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals as the Tamaraws notched their first win over the Fighting Maroons since 2019.
The veteran guard has no shortage of motivation playing in his final year this season.
‘We just keep on grinding, we all know that we’re willing. It feels good personally for me; I went through a lot here in the UAAP for five years, not just the highs or the lows.’
Bautista and the Tamaraws face fellow league leader Ateneo, led by its star rookie Kieffer Alas, for the solo top spot on Friday at Araneta Coliseum.