THE DARK omen that haunted the UST Growling Tigers in the pre–season is slowly creeping back.
In their worst start since 1989 when they went 0-4 in their first few games, the Tigers took a free-fall in the early Final Four race as they collapsed in the endgame and fell prey to the feisty National University Bulldogs, 83-80, last August 4 at the Loyola Gym.
As the España-based cagers dropped to a 1-4 win-loss record, the pre-season predicament of missing a semifinal stint began seeping into the minds of the Tigers.
With the loss, the Tigers plunge to near–cellar, tied with University of the Philippines. UST’s lone victory was over lowly Adamson University, which has yet to get its first win.
Also suffering from setbacks against La Salle and UE, the Tigers’ three-game losing skid puts them in a tough position going into the end of the first round as a narrower road lies ahead of them with fewer games and tougher opponents.
It was a bitter loss for the Tigers, who lost grip of a game that was virtually theirs after leading most of the way. UST’s cotton-soft character surfaced, as they were limited to a single point, committed five turnovers and went blank in four attempts in the last five minutes of the match.
Still ahead by seven with 3:56 remaining, UST crumpled under pressure after the Bulldogs unloaded a deadly 10-0 bite, to steal the game away from the Tigers.
Jeff Napa paced the Bulldogs late-game surge unleashing eight of his 21 points in the final period. NU got a balance attack as Gilbert Neo, Alfie Grijaldo and Froilan Baguion tallied double figures with 17,12 and 10, respectively.
But defense paved way for the NU victory as they forced 25 UST turnovers, transforming these to 24 points.
The Bulldogs also outran the Tigers, scoring 14 transition points against the UST’s 10.
The only bright spot for the Tigers was veteran forward Niño Gelig, who pumped up a double-double performance with his game-high 22 points and 10 boards.
Once again making a living in the three-point area, the Tigers converted seven of 18 attempts for a 39-percent clip. Gelig led the way with three rainbow connections as Derrick Hubalde bounced back from his pathetic showing against UE to chip in two treys in his 12 points for the game.
UST led by as much as 10, 54–44, in the early goings of the third quarter but the wily Bulldogs just kept the game close until finding their breakaway point in the final stretch of the game.
Meanwhile, the Tigers got ran over by a fully charged University of the East Red Warriors, 67–57, last July 29 at the Loyola gym.
Despite the absence of their head coach Boyzie Zamar, the UE Red Warriors were in full control of the ballgame, shooting the lights out on the offensive end and choking the limited UST scoring option on the defensive side.
Unlike the Green Archers, which applied a full court press to gain advantage over the Tigers, the Warriors utilized a stinging zone defense, which gave UST’s shooters a tough time in doing their forte.
UE followed Zamar’s instruction to the letter as the Red Warriors checked Tiger snipers Hubalde and Oreta in the perimeter.
Marked men, the two were harassed and challenged in every side of the court, resulting in a measly combined eight-point production, way below their 30-point average in the season.
Hubalde was totally shut down, as he was scoreless in the game, missing all his six attempts in the field and his three frustrated tries from the three-point area.
Tiger team captain Oreta could not fare any better as he was held down to a struggling eight-point contribution through a miserable three of 11 shooting from the field. He was not able to convert any shots from the rainbow area.
Hubalde and Oreta were the main gunners for the Tigers this season averaging 12.2 points per game.
Previously, the Tigers’ bread-and-butter offense, the three-point shot, was where the España-based cagers piled up their points as they held the league-best 41.3 percent average in the rainbow area. But the absence of this vaunted weapon spelled the game for the Tigers as they converted only five of their 22 attempts from beyond the arc.
But the Tigers would not go down without a fight as less-heralded players stepped up late-game surges.
Tiger enforcer Iago Raterta tried to fill the vast vacuum with his double-double performance of 14 markers and 12 rebounds, while veteran Dondon Villamin posted 10 points, including two clutch treys in UST’s last-ditch rallies. Rookie Warren De Guzman, meanwhile, made sure that the Tigers would not be out-hustled in the boards as he picked up a career-high of 16 rebounds.
Playing catch-up throughout the game, the Tigers closed in on the Warriors with 4:36 to go on a short stab by De Guzman to slice the lead at its closest, 55-59. But Oreta fumbled on the ensuing play, which resulted in a breakaway fast break for Warrior point guard Paul Artadi. The Tigers still had their last roar after Warrior forward James Yap split his charities and Villamin converted a running leaner on the baseline and came in within five, 57-62, with 1:16 left.
The Warriors, however, survived the Tigers’ resurgence and preserved their best start in six years as they ran down the clock and canned three of the four free throws given to them.
The first three quarters were a shooting spree for the Red Warriors with Ronald Tubid having a hey-day from beyond the arc with his four triples. Energetic Warrior Arnold Booker, meanwhile, followed Tubid’s 16-point output with his 12-point production. But the more damaging impact Booker made was in the defensive end where he clamped down on UST’s swingmen, be he Hubalde or Oreta.
Erecting their biggest lead at 18, 25-43, in the early third period after a Tubid trey, the Warriors simply played outstanding ball as they outran the Tigers to take a 15-4 edge in fast break points and converted UST’s 18 turnovers into 15 points. Christian Ace J. Pasco
