AFTER FIVE dreadful years, the title-hungry UST Growling Tigers are moving closer to the path of redemption.
The España-based squad claimed its first Final Four spot since 2019 after dismantling the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 75-49, to close out the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball eliminations on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
Last season’s cellar dwellers locked up the third spot with a 7-7 win-loss slate, its best record since their 8-6 finish in 2019.
It was in Season 82 when the fourth-seeded Tigers last made a deep run, clawing their way to the finals by pulling off a double upset over the second-seed UP Fighting Maroons in a stepladder matchup.
“We will make a new story…During our time, this is our story. The players then were different,” Growling Tigers coach Pido Jarencio said in Filipino after the game.
The Falcons fired on all cylinders to kickstart the game, as guard Mathew Montebon hit three triples to charge up an early 14-3 lead.
But after a timeout, the Tigers responded with a 13-4 run capped by a late triple from Gelo Crisostomo to shave the deficit by two points at the end of the first frame, 18-16.
The game saw a tighter second salvo as UST guard Kyle Paranda handed his team’s first lead with a three-pointer, 21-20.
After a heated start, both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net until Adamson’s Royce Mantua drilled a wide-open buzzer-beater to close the half trailing by a point, 29-28.
In the third quarter, Montebon launched from way downtown to score Adamson’s sole field goal and cut the lead to two points, 33-31.
The España squad then shifted the momentum, blasting a 19-1 run spearheaded by King Tiger Nic Cabañero to build a 20-point cushion before the payoff period, 52-32.
The Tigers continued to display their hunger as they pulled away in the final minutes en route to a crucial victory.
Three Tigers scored in double-digits. Rookie sharpshooter Amiel Acido steered the offense with 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Cabañero dropped 13 markers and eight boards, while foreign student-athlete Mo Tounkara had an 11-point and 14-rebound double-double.
For the Falcons, only Montebon scored in double-digits with 14 points on four triples.
However, the Growling Tigers’ quest for redemption promises to be a tough one as they will face the twice-to-beat number two team UP Fighting Maroons in the semifinals.
“The players of UP are more gritty, but I am confident with my players,” Jarencio said.
The fourth seed is still up for grabs as UE still has a game against UP, while Adamson seeks to rebound against Ateneo. F – with reports from Nicole Atuan
