MANILA, Philippines - In a do-or-die showdown for the UAAP Season 78 men's basketball championship, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws emerged as the champion after defeating the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers on Wednesday, December 2 at the MOA Arena.
Ending the best-of-three finals game with a 67-62 score, the FEU Tamaraws has regained the basketball crown after 10 years of waiting. The team has earned its 20th ring in UAAP history following a heartbreaking loss to National University (NU) Bulldogs during the UAAP Season 77 finals.
It was in 2005 that FEU last claimed the highly coveted championship title. The two team’s last match for the UAAP men’s basketball championship was in 1979, where FEU came out victorious.
FEU had a monumental season with an 11-3 showing during the elimination round and had a 9-game winning streak in between.
Mac Belo was hailed as the Finals MVP for UAAP Season 78 finishing with 23 points and 8 rebounds in the final game. Belo averaged 17.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1 block per game during the championship series.
Meanwhile, Roger Pogoy and Mike Tolomia scored 14 points each during the game.
The Tamaraws won Game 1 with a final score of 75-64. However, Growling Tiger’s Kevin Ferrer completely changed the face of the game after leading the team to a 62-56 victory against the Tamaraws. This forced a winner-take-all Game 3 in the best-of-three series.
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| Photo Credit: Inquirer/Tristan Tamayo |
It was in 2005 that FEU last claimed the highly coveted championship title. The two team’s last match for the UAAP men’s basketball championship was in 1979, where FEU came out victorious.
FEU had a monumental season with an 11-3 showing during the elimination round and had a 9-game winning streak in between.
Mac Belo was hailed as the Finals MVP for UAAP Season 78 finishing with 23 points and 8 rebounds in the final game. Belo averaged 17.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1 block per game during the championship series.
Meanwhile, Roger Pogoy and Mike Tolomia scored 14 points each during the game.
The Tamaraws won Game 1 with a final score of 75-64. However, Growling Tiger’s Kevin Ferrer completely changed the face of the game after leading the team to a 62-56 victory against the Tamaraws. This forced a winner-take-all Game 3 in the best-of-three series.
