IT TOOK the blood and sweat of the UST Growling Tigers to curb the relentless UE Red Warriors and to return to the winning column on Saturday, Nov. 9., at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The hungry Tigers staved off the Warriors, 76-67, in the second round of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball to tighten their position in the rowdy Final Four mix.
UST improved to a 6-7 win-loss standing, while UE is only half a game ahead with a 6-6 record.
The España squad jumped out the gates to a strong 19-7 start capped by a layup from team co-captain Nic Cabañero. As the Recto-based squad struggled to find the bottom of the net, Tiger forward Christian Manaytay hit a three-pointer to close out the first quarter with an 11-point advantage for UST, 22-11.
Tensions rose midway through the second salvo after UST’s Mo Tounkara was cut open during a collision with UE’s Nigerian center Precious Momowei. However, the Tigers kept the momentum rolling with Cabañero scoring nine straight points in an 11-0 run to widen their lead to 27 points, 41-14.
UE then started to find its rhythm as Fil-Canadian Devin Fikes converted through contact and hit a triple to trail 46-26 by the end of the first half. With the Red Warriors gaining momentum in the third quarter, Tiger point guard Forthsky Padrigao buried a triple to keep his team ahead before the payoff period, 60-45.
In the fourth frame, Momowei was ejected from the game after elbowing UST’s Gelo Crisostomo with 5:13 left in the clock. The Red Warriors then ignited an 11-0 run led by team captain Jack Cruz-Dumont to cut the deficit to five, 69-64.
Cabañero stopped the bleeding for UST after scoring through contact, 72-64. UE tried to claw back in the dying minutes but it was already too late.
Cabañero exploded for a season-high 27 points with eight rebounds. Crisostomo contributed 14 markers and seven rebounds, while Manaytay added 10.
Cruz-Dumont led UE’s offense with 19 points. Meanwhile, Wello Lingo-lingo and Fikes chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Tigers will aim to lock its Final Four berth against the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
Because of UST’s win, the Ateneo Blue Eagles became the first team to be eliminated from contention. F – Nicole Atuan with reports from Shayne Lee Andreas Macaraeg
