UST Growling Tigers are back in the chase for the elusive UAAP title for the third time in four years after dethroning defending champions National University Bulldogs, 64-55 in the semifinals of the UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum last Nov. 22.
UST was up by double digits for most of the final frame, with their largest lead at 16 points, following Kevin Ferrer’s baseline jumper off a crossover that put former Tiger Cub Kyle Neypes down on the floor with 6:40 remaining.
NU resorted to fouling Jon Sheriff, a 48.9-percent free throw shooter, to try to eat into UST’s lead. The fourth-year guard nailed only three of his 10 attempts as UST’s lead dwindled to seven, 62-55, with 27 ticks left.
Marvin Lee then nailed the insurance freebies to seal the game.
UST led from the get-go and raced to a 13-point lead, 15-2, after Louie Vigil’s jumper with 4:33 left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs came storming back with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to three, 12-15, at the end of the period.
The Tigers kept their defensive tight in the second period as they limited the Bulldogs to eight points and led 30-20 at the half.
In the waning moments of the third frame, UST relied on an 8-3 blitz led by Vigil to push the lead to 15, 44-29.
Vigil led the Tigers with a season-high 19 points on top of 11 boards and seven assists. Ferrer added 11 markers and 7 boards.
Bulldog star Gelo Alolino ended his UAAP career in disappointing fashion, finishing with just six points on a 1-of-17 shooting clip. Paolo Javelona was the lone player for the Bulldogs with in double-digits with 17 markers.
NU, which averages 66.8 points on 38.7 percent shooting, was held to a woeful 26.87 field goal percentage by the Tigers’ suffocating defense. The Bulldogs also boasts of 11.3 fastbreak points per game but was held to two fastbreak points.
“‘Yung mga players talagang nilabas na nila yung pusong ayon eh, sabi namin one game lang, so from the start dumipensa hanggang sa dulo. Basta one-on-one defense lang, kung sino ang matapat dumepensa lang ng maayos. Then ‘yung rotation namin nandoon. Na-execute namin ng maayos,” Tigers head coach Bong dela Cruz said.
The Growling Tigers will face the Far Eastern University Tamaraws in a best-of-three finals for the first time since 1979. That time, the Tamaraws prevailed over the then UST Goldies, 100-89.
Though the Tigers swept the Tamaraws in the eliminations, dela Cruz admitted that the previous two matchups are a different story from the upcoming series.
The team hopes to control the pace to contain FEU, the league’s best scoring team, which averages 74.7 points per game.
“More on half court (defense) tayo sa FEU kasi loaded sila sa tao. Actually naayos na namin (ang defensive plays)dati eh, i-execute lang namin ng mabuti.”
The second-year tactician added that the team will not be complacent and will ride on their momentum to draw first blood against last season’s runner-ups and potentially end a nine-year title drought.
