MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATED) Far Eastern University (FEU) squandered a 17-point lead and lost three players to fouls, but still managed to do enough in overtime to hack out a hard-earned 88-85 victory over Adamson University on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Tamaraws leaned on their defense in the extra period, forcing the Soaring Falcons into tough looks while denying Jerrick Ahanmisi his shots. They forced Papi Sarr into a backbreaking turnover with 20 seconds to go, before Wendel Comboy helped seal the victory with a massive block on Sean Manganti.

It was FEU’s second win in a row, hiking their record to 4-2 to grab hold of solo third in the league standings. They also earned the distinction of being the first team to defeat Adamson in UAAP Season 81, after the Falcons entered the game with a five-game winning streak.

“Ang ine-emphasize ni Coach Olsen (Racela) ay sustain, sustain, sustain,” said FEU assistant coach Eric Gonzales. “Salamat, at kami ang nanalo.”

“Ngayon lang ang celebration,” said Comboy. “Focus na kami agad sa Ateneo.”

Arvin Tolentino top-scored for the Tamaraws with 19 points, but was thrown out of the game with 3:43 left in the fourth quarter after clubbing Manganti in the head in an attempt to stop a fastbreak. The Tamaraws also lost Kenneth Tuffin and Prince Orizu to fouls later in the contest.

Hubert Cani had 14 points, Comboy finished with 13, and the Tams held Adamson to only 36.25% shooting in the difficult triumph.

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The Tamaraws looked headed for a surprisingly comfortable victory, taking a 69-52 lead with 9:11 left to play off a floater by Cani. But Adamson has shown time and again that it can put up points in a hurry, and the Falcons did just that in the fourth quarter.

Adamson scored easy buckets in transition off FEU’s miscues, with Simon Camacho and Manganti in particular coming up with the steals off the suddenly-jittery Tamaraws. The Falcons uncorked a blistering 11-0 run -- helped by Tolentino’s ejection -- that pushed them ahead, 76-75, with 2:07 to go.

Comboy’s jumper restored FEU’s advantage, but Manganti came up with a clutch floater to make it 78-77 for Adamson with 41 seconds to go. The Tams got a break when Papi Sarr fouled Orizu on a rebounding play: the FEU center made the first and missed the second, but Richard Escoto was there for the putback that made it 80-78 with 29 seconds left.

But the Falcons were not done: after Ahanmisi bricked a long jumper with around four seconds to go, Camacho came up with the massive offensive rebound and the putback to tie the game and send it to overtime.

The two squads went back-and-forth in the extra session, before two charities by Escoto gave FEU the lead for good, 85-84, with 2:06 left. The Falcons still had a chance after Sarr’s split at the line with 45.6 ticks, 86-85.

It appeared as though Adamson would grab the lead once more after they forced an FEU turnover, with Sarr briefly gaining control of the ball. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the veteran center tossed the rock to Cani, who sped down their own court and passed it to a wide-open Barkley Ebona for an 88-85 count.

The Tams then buckled down to work on defense, with Comboy rejecting Manganti’s triple, and Jasper Parker forcing Ahanmisi to bobble the ball on his own attempt.

FEU still left the door open for Adamson when Escoto bricked two charities with 4.5 seconds left, but Manganti’s last-ditch attempt came after the buzzer.

Ahanmisi finished with 21 points, but the sweet-shooting guard could barely get a shot off in the extra session as he was blanketed by the FEU guard. Manganti finished with 20 points, but made only 7-of-24 shots. Sarr finished with 15 points and 14 boards, while Camacho (10 points, 11 rebounds) also had a double-double.

With the result, Adamson now has a 5-1 win-loss record, tied with defending champion Ateneo de Manila University for a share of first place.

The scores:

FEU 88 -- Tolentino 19, Cani 14, Comboy 13, Ebona 9, Escoto 8, Gonzales 8, Parker 7, Orizu 6, Inigo 2, Tuffin 2, Stockton 0.

ADAMSON 85 -- Ahanmisi 21, Manganti 20, Sarr 15, Camacho 10, Lastimosa 8, V. Magbuhos 4, Espeleta 3, Pingoy 2, Zaldivar 2, Bernardo 0, Catapusan 0, Colonia 0, Mojica 0.

Quarter scores: 16-19, 43-34, 67-52, 80-80, 88-85.

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