MANILA – On the day the league’s brightest guard Andy Barroca officially left the league, Paul Lee stepped up to carry the torch.

Lee scored a career-high 26 points as he carried University of the East (UE) Warriors past embattled Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 84-74, to force a rubber match in their Final Four matchup in the 72nd UAAP men’s basketball on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Lee waxed hot in the second half as he buried three-pointers from all angles as he took advantage of an FEU team which announced after the game that Barroca had already played his last game for the team.

From a 46-50 deficit, Lee strung up eight points as the Warriors went to regain the lead, 62-55, at the end of the third canto.

Lee continued his hot streak as he reeled off 14 of UE’s last 16 points in the game. The dizzying 16-5 run snapped the fight out of the stunned Tamaraws, who were reeling from the loss of star playmaker Barroca.

Paul Sanga tried to fill in Barroca’s void as he came up with also a career-high 22 points. His last basket gave FEU its last taste of the lead on a three-pointer from the deep corner, with 6:31 left.

Lee, however, was far from being done as he unloaded three straight triples to spark UE’s big run towards the finish.

“I’ve seen those shots from time and again. But siguro this time, they came at a special time because our backs are against the wall,” said UE rookie coach Lawrence Chongson of Lee’s superlative performance.

Lee added eight rebounds and seven assists while Pari Llagas ably backed him up with 19 points and 12 boards.

Val Acuña, meanwhile, scored 17 points including 11 in the opening period where the Warriors re-asserted their mastery over the Tamaraws as they led by as many as 10 points.

The win was the seventh in a row for the Warriors dating back to the eliminations. It was only their second Final Four victory since the format was introduced in 1994 and their first playoff win against FEU since 1998.

The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for the Tamaraws, who came into the game distracted by the Barroca issue.

However, FEU athletics director and tournament director Mark Molina thought the team played well even without Barroca.

“I thought we played good enough to win the game. The effort was there. But then Paul Lee hit spectacular shots,” said Molina. By Alder T. Almo

The scores:

UE 84 – Lee 26, Llagas 19, Acuna 17, Espiritu 8, Reyes 6, Lingganay 4, Ayala 3, Tagarda 1, Zamar 0, Acibar 0.

FEU 74 – Sanga 22, Garcia 16, Ramos 12, Cervantes 8, Noundou 5, Cawaling 5, Manalo 4, Knuttel 2, Eguilos 0, Caluag 0.

Quarters: 25-18, 37-38, 62-55, 84-74.