THE UST Tiger Cubs clinched the third UAAP Season 86 boys’ basketball Final Four slot with an 80-68 win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles at the Filoil EcoOil Centre on Wednesday, Jan. 24.
With the win, the Tiger Cubs improved to an 8-5 win-loss slate for the third seed, one game ahead of the 7-5 FEU Diliman Baby Tamaraws.
The Tiger Cubs turned a 35-33 halftime lead into a 21-point advantage after opening the third quarter with a 26-7 blitz, 61-40.
Three early downtown hits by Charles Bucsit propelled UST to a game-high 23-point cushion at the start of the fourth quarter, 78-55.
In the payoff period, the Tiger Cubs withstood a late 13-2 Ateneo run capped by a buzzer-beating midrange jumper by Uno Prado.
UST outscored the Blue Eagles in the second half, 45-35.
“Palagi kong sinasabi sa team namin, yung chemistry namin saka ‘yung mindset namin kasi kapag lumalamang, minsan may tendency na mag-relax,” UST head coach Manu Iñigo said postgame.
“Sabi ko nga 40 minutes of tamang basketball dapat ‘yung ginagawa. Hindi ‘yung ‘pag lumamang, nag-iiba ‘yung mindset.”
The Tiger Cubs started the game with a 20-9 spurt to eke out a six-point lead after the opening frame, 22-16.
However, Ateneo went on a 17-13 second quarter to cut UST’s lead down to three at the half.
UST dished out 26 assists, twice more than Ateneo’s 13 dimes.
Defensively, the Tiger Cubs forced the Blue Eagles to 27 turnovers while also stealing the ball 17 times.
UST also held Porter to seven points and 13 rebounds on 2-of-11 shooting (18.2 percent). Porter is currently ranked third in the MVP race.
Buenaflor paced UST with 21 points and seven boards, while Lanze Ronquillo and Charles Bucsit scored 14 and 13 markers, respectively.
Despite only scoring four points on 1-of-7 shooting, team topscorer Dungo steered UST’s offense with a game-high nine assists.
Troy de Guzman was the only Blue Eagle who scored in double digits with 10 points and eight boards.
The Adamson Baby Falcons still hold a league-best 12-1 record, while the NSNU Bullpups are in second place with a 10-2 tally.
The Tiger Cubs look to solidify their hold of the third seed as they face the Baby Tamaraws to conclude their elimination-round campaign at the same venue on Jan. 28, Sunday, at 9 a.m. with reports from Jose Gabriel V. Ignacio
