Belo’s buzzer-beater sends FEU to UAAP Finals

FOR the second year in a row, Mac Belo’s heroics vaulted the Far Eastern University (FEU) to the finals. This after the Cotabato City-native canned a putback as time expired to lift the Tamaraws to a pulsating 76-74 win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the Final Four of the 78th UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

With time running out, Belo plucked an offensive rebound off a miss by a driving Mike Tolomia with less than a second left and shot it back in right before the final buzzer to push the Tamaraws to the victory and into the championship round for the second straight year.

Last season, Belo also came up big as he swished in a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the corner to beat the La Salle Green Archers in the semifinals.

Belo finished with 15 points and nine rebounds but it was Cebuano forward Roger Ray Pogoy who led the team in scoring with 16, including a triple that tied the match at 74-all with 50 seconds left.

FEU brought a 56-50 lead into the fourth period but Adrian Wong came up with big shots while Kiefer  Ravena scored five straight to put Ateneo in front, 74-71, 2:20 left. However, the veteran

Tamaraws did not cave in and found an open Pogoy on the right corner who promptly converted the triple to tie the game for the last time.

Playing in his final game in the UAAP, Ravena scored 25 points while Wong had 17. Another graduating senior, Von Pessumal, finished with 15.