MANILA, Philippines – Far Eastern University (FEU) big man Raymar Jose earned UAAP Player of the Week honors after he powered the Tamaraws to a come-from-behind win over University of the Philippines (UP) last Saturday.
The Tamaraws were down by 20 points at the end of the first quarter, 8-28, but Jose helped them claw their way back from the deficit en route to a 63-60 victory that extended their winning streak to seven games.
Jose scored two crucial baskets in crunch time to put FEU on top, 63-57, with 1:30 left, then the Tamaraws showed their defensive intensity in the final possessions to pull out the victory. He finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds in the contest.
“We were passive from the start. Coach told us that if we want to win the game, we need to work hard for it,” Jose said.
Thanks in part to Jose’s performance, FEU strengthened its hold on the second spot with its 8-2 win-loss record, and is now safely through to the Final Four.
Despite the win over UP, however, FEU coach Nash Racela stressed the Tamaraws have to play at a consistent level if they want to go deep in the tournament.
“It’s good that the players responded in the second quarter defensively,” said Racela. “But we need to play good basketball for 40 minutes for us to really have a good chance every game.”
Jose bested Adamson University’s Papi Sarr, the De La Salle University pair of Ben Mbala and Jeron Teng, and Ateneo de Manila University’s Raffy Verano for the weekly citation.