Call it fate—or luck—but the Tigers did practically nothing to merit a spot in the Final Four.
But they made it anyway—the slot all but served on a silver platter—courtesy of the NU Bulldogs’ huge win over the luckless De La Salle Green Archers last Aug. 9 at a packed Araneta Coliseum.
With the upset, the Tigers saw no reason to win over the UE Warriors in the second game, except, of course, to enter the semifinals on a winning note.
But even that was not enough to motivate the Tigers who bowed to the mighty Warriors, 67-77.
“We were really prepared to beat UE at all cost [should DLSU win],” an inexplicably confident Coach Pido Jarencio said.“But the (Final Four) slot was given to us early so the players relaxed and I let the younger ones play on the court.”
Jarencio vowed that the erratic Tigers would be ready by the time they faced the top-seeded Ateneo Blue Eagles, who enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage. The Tigers will enter the Final Four with three consecutive losses.
Going into the double-header, the Tigers needed only for the Archers to lose to finally get into the penultimate round after two unsuccessful attempts.
The Archers had needed to win over the lowly Bulldogs—a foregone conclusion to many observers—and for the Tigers to lose to at least forge a playoff with the UST squad for the last Final Four berth.
While the Archers showed intensity in a losing effort, the Tigers displayed little sense of urgency.
After trailing by as much as nine points in the first half, the Tigers came back to life via a 6-0 run to end the third period, 50-51.
But the Warriors showed championship poised even in a non-bearing game, with Rudy Lingganay hitting a jumper to kick off another UE run.
The UST tandem of Clark Bautista and Jeric Fortuna nailed consecutive three-pointers, but UE hotshot Paul Lee answered with a basket of his own.
Warriors slotman Elmer Espiritu punctuated the game with a strong jam.
Bautista led UST with 12 points while Most Valuable Player Dylan Ababou registered a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
The Tigers would have earned a spot in the Final Four as early as September 6 if not for a 64-83 trashing in the hands of the Adamson Soaring Falcons at the San Juan Arena. Three days earlier, the Archers buried the Tigers, 68-64. Charizze Abulencia and Lester G. Babiera
Box scores:
UE (77) – Acuna 20, Lee 15, Espiritu 12, Lingganay 11, Tagarda 4, Reyes 4, Llagas 4, Zamar 3, Duran 2, Acibar 2, Bandaying 0, Ayala 0, Alabanza 0.
UST (67) – Bautista 12, Mirza 11, Fortuna 11, Ababou 11, Teng 10, Afuang 6, Ungria 0, Marquez 0, Mariano 0, Felix 0.
Quarter Scoring: 17-13, 42-23, 51-50, 77-67.
