THE UST Growling Tigers are now on the brink of elimination after falling short against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 61-53, in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.
A win by the Ateneo Blue Eagles against the NU Bulldogs or another UST loss guarantees the Tigers’ elimination from Final Four contention.
With UST down by five early in the first quarter, 13-8, the Tigers went for a 12-6 run to lead by one in the opening canto.
Tied at 32-all, Adamson took over late in the second quarter capped by a Joshua Yerro triple to take back the lead at halftime.
A 13-8 third quarter extended Adamson’s lead to eight, 48-40.
During the payoff period, the Tigers erupted for a 10-4 run ignited by five Christian Manaytay points that cut the deficit to two with 6:25 remaining.
However, UST went scoreless for more than five minutes.
Adamson capitalized on UST’s crumbling defense and sank three consecutive triples–one from Matthew Montebon and two from Didat Hanapi—to build an 11-point cushion, 61-50.
Nic Cabañero finally converted a layup that put a stop to UST’s offensive drought with 1:04 remaining. However, the time was just insufficient for the Tigers to spark a comeback.
Manaytay led UST with 13 points and three blocks. He was the lone Tiger who scored in double digits.
Cabañero, Ivanne Calum, and Ivan Lazarte added nine points apiece.
Yerro paced Adamson with 17 markers and four assists.
UST remained the worst team with a 1-9 win-loss record, while Adamson improved to a 5-5 slate. Both teams have four games left to play.
The Growling Tigers will next face the defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles on Nov. 8, Wednesday, 11 a.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
