A CHAMPIONSHIP battle that last happened 36 years ago is about to unfold.
The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers made sure of this when they took control early and put away the defending champion National University Bulldogs, 64-55, yesterday in the Final Four of the 78th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
The win sent UST into a rare best-of-three finals showdown with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, who banked on Mac Belo’s follow-up shot at the buzzer off Mike Tolomia’s miss to escape with a 76-74 win over Ateneo last Saturday.
UST and FEU last met in the Finals in 1979, when the Tamaraws beat the Tigers for the crown, 100-89.
The Growling Tigers, with Louie Vigil, Kevin Ferrer and Sheak Sheriff, scoring in double digits, gained the initiative from the start with their 9-2 lead in the first 10 minutes.
They never looked back and banked on their interior defense to stay in front even if NU managed to cut the gap to 12-15 at the end of the first period.
Back-to-back baskets from Kareem Abdul and Mario Bonleon saw UST hike its lead again, 21-12.
UST tightened its trapping defense, which shut down NU’s prolific shooter Angelo Alolino in the first period. Bonleon’s triple in the dying seconds of the first half allowed the Espana-based cagers to enjoy a 28-18 spread.
“Iyung mga players, nilabas nila ang puso nila. Sabi namin, one game lang. So, pinakita nila from the start. Dumepensa sila hanggang dulo,” said UST coach Bong de la Cruz.
Vigil tallied a game-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds. Ferrer added 11 points and Sheriff made 10.
On the other hand, NU drew 17 points from Nico Javellona while Jay Alejandro had eight. Alfred Aroga put in seven points and 15 rebounds.
UST stayed on its toes at the start of the second half. They posted a 33-20 spread in the last 9:27 of the period off Ferrer’s trey.
Vigil’s drive in the remaining 1:21 saw UST posting a 15-point edge, 44-29.
NU coach Eric Altamirano said this could be the team’s worst game of the whole season.
“What a time to play our worst game. We were not able to get it done at both ends. You can attribute it to UST’s good defense,” said Altamirano as NU failed to the return to the finals.
UST forced NU to 12 of 15 turnovers in the first half.
NU minimized its turnovers to three in the second half. By then, UST was already in full control of the game.
The Growling Tigers will now seek their 19th championship. For the Tamaraws, it will be their chance to go for a record 20th title.