By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Ilonggo guard John Bryan Sajonia played his best UAAP game so far after spearheading the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws’ attack against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 91-61, in the Season 84 men’s basketball tournament.
After drilling his first three in the left corner assisted by superstar RJ Abarrientos, the former Santa Clarita International School of Iloilo main gunner went unconscious from deep and buried five of his ten total attempts and finished the contest with 17 huge points.
Sajonia ended the first half strong with two three-pointers and was a vital piece to FEU’s offensive onslaught in the last seven-minute stretch of the second quarter.
The Ilonggo scorer then added more firepower to the FEU offense and chipped in double-digits in the last two quarters while keeping his gun ablaze.
“For a coach, it’s always refreshing to have your players shoot that well but yun ang kailangan namin ngayon, us gaining the confidence we need going to the crucial stage of the tournament,” said FEU head coach Olsen Racela.
It was a waxing-hot outing for the Tamaraws as they shot 43% from the three-point territory on an impressive 16/37 shooting.
Xyrus Torres was also a huge factor in the game and backstopped Sajonia with his own 15 point-production while highly-regarded rookie Abarrientos contributed 12 points for the team.
Meanwhile, the loss for the Red Warriors only worsened their ongoing winless Season 84 campaign with an 0-11 win-loss record.
Nikko Paranada fought with his all for the Red Warriors and finished with 15 points, four steals, and three rebounds while Harvey Pagsanjan had 10 points across the board.
