THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers used a strong 8-0 run to open the fourth quarter, turning a slim 52-51 lead to a 59-51 advantage en route to an 82-74 victory over the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Wednesday, September 18, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The victory earned them the last spot in the Final Four while ending the Blue Eagles’ five-year run as champions.
The final quarter opened with Clark Bautista nailing a booming triple immediately followed by two straight lay-ups from Aljon Mariano and Ed Daquioag. The Ateneo tried to weather the storm after a beautiful reverse lay-up from JP Erram off of a nifty pass from the graduating Ryan Buenafe. However, the Blue Eagles’ effort was answered by another triple from Bautista and King Tiger Jeric Teng to make it a 65-53 lead for the Growling Tigers.
Teng finished the game with 17 points and nine rebounds, hitting 5/6 free throws down the stretch to seal the game. Karim Abdul was dominant early on, scoring 19 of his 25 points in the first 24 minutes of action. He also finished the game with 9 boards and 5 blocks.
For the Blue Eagles, Kiefer Ravena would lead three Ateneans in double figures with a brilliant all-around performance, recording a team-high 20 points to go with six rebounds and five. Chris Newsome and Nico Elorde chipped in 13 and 12 points respectively. One player who was missing for the Ateneo was the graduating Juami Tiongson; the team captain only had two points in his final outing for the Blue and White.
The game opened with a beautiful fade-away jumper from Ravena, as he scored Ateneo’s first five points and made his first three shots. Things took an unfortunate turn, though, as Chris Newsome committed his third personal foul with more than six minutes left in the first quarter, forcing him to sit out the rest of the first half.
The Growling Tigers took advantage by spacing the floor beautifully and allowing Karim Abdul to play one-on-one inside the paint. Abdul would score on a variety of shots near the rim as his teammates looked to set him up for easy baskets. The quarter ended with a 6-0 run capped by two fast break lay-ups from Daquioag.
Facing a thirteen-point deficit at halftime, the Blue Eagles leaned on their championship experience to get back in the game. An 8-0 blitz on a nifty lay-up from Ravena, a free throw from Newsome, an undergoal stab from Golla and a booming triple from Elorde suddenly shifted the momentum back to the Ateneo.
The Blue Eagles pressured the ball and forced a lot of bad shots, allowing them to run off of the Growling Tigers’ missed baskets. The Growling Tigers were unable to adjust to the sudden change of pace, which allowed the Ateneo to cut what was once a 16-point deficit down to a solitary point before the start of the fourth, 52-51. But the Blue Eagles’ comeback attempt ultimately fell short as UST successfully answered every Ateneo rally down the stretch with one of their own.
The defeat put an end to the team’s Season 76 campaign, finishing a 7-7 win-loss record. It also denies the squad a semi-final berth and marks the official end of the Blue Eagles’ five-year reign at the top of the UAAP Men’s Basketball division.
The early exit for the Blue Eagles also meant that it was the last time players Juami Tiongson, Ryan Buenafe, JP Erram and Frank Golla would be donning the Blue and White for the Ateneo. The four graduating seniors received a well-deserved ovation from the Ateneo community after the game.
UST finished the elimination round at fourth with an 8-6 win-loss record. The Growling Tigers will face top-seed National University in the Final Four, facing a twice-to-beat disadvantage.
The Blue Eagles also missed the services of Head Coach Bo Perasol, who was serving his one-game suspension. Perasol’s shoes were filled by Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga.
“There will always be hard times, but they shouldn’t define you,” said Arespacochaga after the game.
Box scores:
UST 82 – Abdul 25, Teng 17, Daquioag 13, Ferrer 10, Mariano 7, Bautista 6, Sheriff 4, Lao 0, Lo 0, Pe 0.
ATENEO 74— Ravena 20, Newsome 13, Elorde 12, Buenafe 9, Pessumal 8, Erram 4, Golla 4, Tiongson 2, Tolentino 2, Capacio 0.
Quarter scores: 26-14, 39-26, 52-51, 82-74
