By Jun Ray Navarres
Nic Cabañero and the University of Santo Tomas held on to fend off second half uprising of University of the East, 76-67 to keep fourth spot in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
Cabañero, UST’s offensive leader erupted for 27 points on 8-of-16 shooting and added eight rebounds to propel the Growling Tigers to a 6-7 and solo fourth place.
They are now a game ahead of fifth ranked Far Eastern University (5-8) and only half a game behind UE (6-6).
“Yung mga players hindi bumigay until the end. Naging consistent kami. Syempre meron ding run ang UE pero kami naman we’re focused especially last two games namin kasi magdidictate ito kung makakapasok kami sa Final Four,” said Growling Tigers head coach Pido Jarencio.
Down by 27, 14-41, the Warriors of the East resurrected from the dead to mount a comeback after the half time huddle.
UE battled their way back, reducing the deficit to 12 points, 55-67, but Precious Momowei’s unfortunate ejection following his second unsportsmanlike foul at the 5:13 mark of the final quarter sent the game in a mess.
The Nigerian Center was already called for his first unsportsmanlike foul when he elbowed Mo Tounkara which resulted in a nosebleed during the 5:18 mark of the second period.
The second elbow which busted Gelo Crisostomo’s right eye threw Momowei out of the court and disqualified him for individual awards.
This chaotic sequence however, proved to be a turning point, as Jack Cruz-Dumont and Rainer Maga capitalized on the momentum, unleashing a decisive 9-2 run to bring the Red Warriors within striking distance, trailing by just five points,64-69 with 2:48 to play.
However, Cabañero stepped up for UST, alongside Christian Manaytay to seal the win for the Growling Tigers.
“I-absorb lang namin itong panalo na ito tapos kapag bukas, focus na kami sa next game namin. Hindi pa tapos ‘yung placing sa Final Four,” said Cabañero.
Crisostomo and Manaytay were key contributors, scoring 14 and 10 points, respectively, while also grabbing seven rebounds apiece.
On the other hand, Cruz-Dumont led UE with 19 points, followed by Wello Lingolingo with 13 and 12 for Devin Fikes.
UST will conclude its elimination round against Adamson next Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre while UE hopes to better third spot hold against eliminated Ateneo on Wednesday at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Images courtesy of UAAP Media Bureau
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