Tigers Peg Fourth Slot

The Far Eastern University Tamaraws let go in the middle quarters to have University of Santo Tomas formally advance into the stepladder series, the defending champions winning, 80-69, on September 17 at the Araneta Coliseum where the shrill of the crowd had the power of over 9000.
The Growling Tigers limited FEU to six points in the second quarter, while Dylan Ababou received the spheroid at the side for a three-point basket and largest deficit, 59-35, 2:50 of the third.

"Buhay na naman kami. Kapag gipitan, mas masarap manalo,"

remarked UST head coach Pido Jarencio.

"Ang Tigre mabagsik kapag playoff."

Jervy Cruz, who had the crowd chanting "MVP", showed his worth with 17 points, 5/11 at the field, 7/7 at the line, and 14 rebounds. Anthony Espiritu went for 12 markers, two assists, and two steals.

Ababou and Khasim Mirza had identical stats of 11 points, four boards, and a block. Japs Cuan had a near triple-double of eight markers, nine rebounds, eight feeds, and six turnovers.

Jarencio's driving force to his wards were, "Wala ng bukas. Ayaw ko pang mag-bakasyon."

Reil Cervantes was thrown out with 17 points on 7/11 shooting, nine caroms, and eight errors. Mac Baracael made 15, seven, and four feeds.

This is just the beginning of the struggle for the Tigers, who would next go against the loser of the Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University tug of war for the twice-to-beat to be held on September 18 at the Big Dome on 3pm.

FEU surprised the hosts with a 14-7 boost to begin the hostilities, with Baracael putting it in, 4:56 of the first period.

Espiritu's quick reverse midway of the second gave UST the lead for good, 25-23, 5:20. The black and gold then limited the Tams scoreless for four and a half minutes, while they built a 39-25 halftime pad with Ababou credited for seven of the points in that 14-2 blast.

With the España-based squad controlling the third quadrant, Far Eastern went Custer in the final ten minutes, relying on the three-point shot for solace. The green and gold did manage to go within single digits with Paul Sanga's three at the corner coming from an Andy Barroca drive and dish, 66-75, 1:46

THE DREAM IS NOT YET DEAD

Staving off eligibility controversies and last second heartbreakers, the UST Growling Tigers ended all doubts about their ability to defend the crown as they mauled two of their last three assignments to muscle its way into the final spot in the step-ladder round of the UAAP Season 70 Basketball wars.

Due to the University of the East (UE) Red Warrior’s immaculate 14-0 record in the elimination round, they automatically enter the finals, an incentive given by the UAAP to a team that earns an immaculate slate.

As a result, instead of having the traditional Final Four format, a step ladder elimination round is employed wherein the third and fourth ranked team battle in a winner-take all match.

The second ranked squad meanwhile, will hold a twice to beat advantage and will take on the winner of the playoff between the third and fourth team.

The Growling Tigers, who now sport a 9-6 win-loss record, defeated the rookie-laden Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 80-69, in their rubber match last September 17 at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Tigers showed no fear in the do or die playoff game, burying the stigma caused by two previous defeats at the hands of their Morayta-based counterparts.

The España-based dribblers blew the game wide-open after they unleashed a 14-2 blast capped-off by a Dylan Ababou floater through the heart of the Tamaraw defense to give UST a 39-25 edge heading into halftime.

From there, the UST lead ballooned, going up to as much as 24 points, 59-35, midway into the third quarter.

But the tenacious Tamaraws refused to fade into oblivion as FEU forwards Paul Sanga and Marnel Baracael conspired in a 14-4 blast to whittle away the UST lead to mere nine points with 1:44 remaining in the game.

MVP candidate Jervy Cruz hit a pair of crucial free-throws to hammer in the final nail in the coffin on the Tamaraws’ title bid with less then a minute to go.

Tigers coach Pido Jarencio credits the mismatches created by his defensive play calling as the catalyst for the blow-out win.

“I mixed-up the defense in the second quarter which confused our opponents, they found it hard to score,” Jarencio told the Varsitarian.

“Our defensive pressure, in turn, created much better scoring opportunities for us.”

Slotman Cruz played another monster game, producing a game-high 17 points and 14 rebounds to make-up for his poor showing in the previous game.