It wasn’t the victory the UST Growling Tigers dreamed of on their home court, but they’ll gladly take it.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles first crushed the Growling Tigers’ spirits on their home court, handing them a stunning defeat at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion (QPav) on Oct. 19. However, they changed roles and became the Tigers’ hope-bringers as they defeated the UE Red Warriors — whom UST is battling for a Final Four spot — on Wednesday night, greatly improving UST’s chances of making it to the Final Four.
The loss dropped the Red Warriors’ record to 6-7, tying them with the Tigers in the standings, with both teams having one game remaining in the elimination round. However, since UST holds the tiebreaker, the Tigers moved up to third, while UE slipped to fourth. For Ateneo, the game had no impact on their Final Four hopes, as they had already been eliminated, but they still improved their record to 4-9.
UE’s loss means that UST only needs a win over the fifth-seeded Adamson Soaring Falcons (5-7) to claim the third seed at the end of the eliminations. If that happens, the Tigers will face the second-seeded UP Fighting Maroons (9-3) in the Final Four, with UP holding a twice-to-beat advantage.
UST team captain Nic Cabañero, who witnessed Ateneo’s surprise victory over UE, said the Tigers are now in a strong position to reach the Final Four.
“We are in a good position now, so we need to stay who we are as a team,” he told the Varsitarian.
“Binigyan kami ngayon ng chance na umangat pa, so kailangan na talaga naming maging focused sa panalo,” he added. “We will just do our best when we face Adamson.”
A loss to Adamson, however, could jeopardize the Tigers’ hopes of making the Final Four, as they would then need Ateneo to defeat the Falcons in their final game to avoid a tie.
Should the Tigers secure a spot in the Final Four, it would be their first appearance in five years. Their last semifinal run came in 2019 when they overcame UP’s twice-to-beat advantage to reach the finals.
It would also mark Cabañero’s first UAAP Final Four appearance since joining the Tigers four years ago.
After a strong 4-3 record in the first round, UST has won just two out of their six second-round games so far.
“We will just be ready. … Alam namin na every game counts from now on,” Cabañero said.
The Tigers will cap their UAAP Season 87 elimination round campaign against the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
