THE UST Tiger Cubs leaned on a 35-point outing by Jhon Canapi to overwhelm the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 100-77, in the UAAP Season 87 junior high school (JHS) basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Canapi shot 13-for-24 from the field (54.2 percent) and tallied five steals to help UST notch its first win in the tournament.
UST head coach Noli Mejos said that the Tiger Cubs are steadily improving, particularly in ball movement and defense, as UST tallied 24 assists and 19 steals.
“More on naging teamwork kami ngayon, ‘yong mga assists,” Mejos told the Varsitarian. “Naging open na sila; kaya na nilang pumasa. Last game talagang sinabon ko talaga about doon sa assists kaya nakapag-adjust.
The Tiger Cubs opened the game with a swift 8-0 run, but Ateneo quickly responded with a 16-6 blast capped off by a trey from Q Molina to overtake UST, 16-14. The Tiger Cubs used a 12-3 run to regain the lead by the end of the first quarter, 26-22.
Trailing Ateneo by three in the second frame, the Tiger Cubs went on a 19-4 run, fueled by six points from Nickson Cabañero and five from Canapi, to take a 57-45 lead.
UST extended their lead by outscoring Ateneo 26-19 in the third quarter, entering the final period with a 19-point advantage, 84-64.
In the fourth quarter, UST maintained control, limiting the Blue Eaglets to just 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting, sealing the win.
“Balik ulit, prepare ulit, for the next game — mas malakas ‘yon, mas mga makukulit. [Training lang talaga], prepare, scouting, viewing, lahat, prepare,” Mejos said.
Jubilado and Cabañero scored 17 and 16 points for UST, respectively.
Ateneo’s Yj Lacsamana scored 19 markers, while JD Juangco chipped in 14 points.
The Tiger Cubs rose to fourth place with a 1-1 win-loss record, placing it in a tie with Ateneo.
The Tiger Cubs will next face Adamson University on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 9:45 a.m. at the Adamson Gymnasium. Rafael Paolo P. Salaya
