Staving off a furious run in the payoff period, the University of Santo Tomas forced a winner-take-all game on Saturday against National University, winning in their Final Four matchup, 71-62, yesterday afternoon. The Growling Tigers went on a prowl in the first half, building a double-digit lead, before the Bulldogs mounted a rally that closed the gap between the teams, who met again in the Final Four the second straight year. “We came in with nothing to lose; the pressure was on them,” UST coach Pido Jarencio told reporters during the post-game interview.
Former MVP Bobby Ray Parks was held to 14 points by the lanky Kevin Ferrer whose lockdown defense forced the NU captain to make bad shots. Ferrer led the Tigers with 14 points, on a 4-of-9 shooting from rainbow territory. Hotshot Gelo Alolino paced the Bulldogs offense with 17 points. The Bulldogs put together a 13-0 run in the fourth, applying pressure that resulted into turnovers by the Tigers. But a triple by graduating forward Jeric Teng brought the momentum back to UST, which held onto the lead until the final buzzer.
NU, which earned a twice-to-beat advantage after topping the elimination round with a 10-4 card, plays the rubber match with the fourth-placed UST on Saturday. The Bulldogs haven’t entered the Finals in over four decades and the school owns the UAAP’s longest title drought in men’s basketball. On the other hand, the De La Salle Green Archers, which nailed the twice-to-beat incentive last Saturday, begin their Final Four match against the third-seeded Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Wednesday. MM
