WHILE THEY managed to claw themselves out of the rut and made their first Final Four appearance in five years, the UST Growling Tigers’ fangs were not sharp enough to recreate the stunning upset over the heavily favored UP Fighting Maroons five years ago.
The third-seed Tigers ended their quest for redemption this season after succumbing to the twice-to-beat Maroons, 78-69, in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Fighting Maroons were able to prevent a repeat of their tragic episode in 2019, which saw UST eliminating the twice-to-beat UP after a clutch three-pointer by then graduating Tiger point guard Renzo Subido.
“To be honest, no member of my team has gone to the Final Four except Forthsky [Padrigao]… This is something new to them, but we gave them a great game,” UST head coach Pido Jarencio said postgame.
Padrigao used to play for the Ateneo Blue Eagles and was among the key figures that gave the Katipunan-based squad the UAAP Season 85 championship.
“Perhaps we will just make our players ready for next year. We will be stronger next year because we have already recruited players,”Jarencio said.
Both teams got off to a slow start until Fighting Maroon Francis Lopez nailed a three-pointer to give his team the early 16-12 lead. King Tiger Nic Cabañero then delivered inside the paint to cut UP’s lead by two in the opening frame, 16-14.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair in the second salvo as UST forward Migs Pangilinan drilled a triple to tie the game, 27-all. Tiger big man Gelo Crisostomo pulled up from midrange to give UST a two-point edge at the end of the first half, 35-33.
The Fighting Maroons continued their aggressiveness in the last period as Harold Alarcon scored eight points to drive his team ahead, 68-61.
With 3:24.6 minutes left in regulation, Padrigao was thrown out of the game after an unsportsmanlike foul on UP’s center Quentin Millora-Brown. This propelled the Diliman squad to put on the finishing touches and send the España-based squad packing.
Lopez and Alarcon led the scoring for UP with 16 points apiece. Reylan Torres added 13 markers, while Millora-Brown had nine markers and grabbed 19 boards.
Four Tigers scored in double-digits, with Cabañero, Crisostomo and Kyle Paranada scoring 12 points each. Forward Christian Manaytay added 10 markers.
The defeat extended the title drought of the Growling Tigers, who last won the championship in 2006.
As UST embarks on another quest for redemption next year, some Tigers will no longer be part of the journey. The España-based squad will lose the services of veterans Manaytay, Pangilinan and Chase Lane next season. F
