Tams hope to rebound minus Garcia

MANILA, Philippines - T he UAAP sacked Far Eastern U ace gunner R.R. Garcia for one game for a pair of unsportsmanlike fouls, jeopardizing the Tams’ bid to break a two-game spell when they face the streaking University of the East side in the UAAP on Sunday.

Commissioner Chito Loyzaga announced the sanction Tuesday.

Garcia was slapped with the unsportsmanlike foul with intent to hurt for elbowing La Salle’s Jarelan Tampus last Sunday. He was previously called for the same offense for throwing the ball at UE’s Lord Casajeros during their first round encounter.

After a sweep of the first round, the Tams dropped their first two matches in the second, bowing to the National U Bulldogs, 58-59, and to the Archers, 66-75.

But FEU coach Nash Racela remains confident of his wards’ ability to bounce back despite the absence of Garcia.

“All teams went through consecutive losses. It’s our time to try and arrest the skid,” Racela told The STAR yesterday.

Garcia, the 2010 MVP, provides FEU with 13.89 points, 3.89 rebounds, 2.89 assists, and 1.22 steal per outing. The five-year veteran actually played the NU game ill and was not in 100 percent top form when he suited up in the DLSU match following two nights of hospitalization the same week.

“We must collectively step forward to fill in the shoes of RR,” said Racela.

Leading MVP contender Terrence Romeo, Mike Tolomia, and the last game’s top scorers Roger Pogoy and Mark Belo are expected to step up and offset the absence of Garcia against the UE Warriors, one of the hottest teams in the league with a four-game roll.

Now with 7-2 card, FEU is just a win ahead of second-running NU and UE (both with 6-3) and two games up on DLSU (5-4).

“We need to do a better job sharing the ball and looking for the open man,” said Racela, pointing out what was missing in their last two games.

The Tams were the best team in the league in assists in the first round, averaging 16.3 per outing. They had only 10 feeds in the loss to NU and 11 in the setback to DLSU.