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Seldom-used player steps up as UST defeats UP

The University of Santo Tomas kept their Final Four hopes alive with a 77-65 victory over the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, Wednesday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena, in the continuation of the UAAP basketball competitions.

Without injured players Kevin Ferrer and Ed Daquioag, the Tigers needed their bench to step up and that was exactly what Regie Basibas did as he scored 16 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to power UST to a crucial victory.

Mikee Reyes led UP with 22 points, three rebounds, and three assists but he wasn’t able to score during UST’s fourth quarter run. Moriah Gingerich and Diego Dario both added nine for the Maroons.

UST is now at .500 with a 5-5 win-loss record. They need to put more wins together to have a shot at the Final Four but the win against UP was crucial to their campaign.

The Maroons on the other hand stayed in seventh place with a 1-9 tally.

After keeping in step with the Tigers in the opening moments of the first quarter, the Maroons loosened their grip on the contest as their 12-11 deficit turned into a 20-11 count.

UP also lost head coach Rey Madrid as he was ejected after two technical fouls.

Instead of folding up, the Maroons fought back in the second quarter. They wrested the lead from UST thanks to a 14-6 run to start the second quarter. Things also went bad to worse for the Tigers as Jamil Sheriff was whistled for his fourth foul with more than three minutes remaining in the first half.

The Tiger regained their composure as they ended the second quarter with a 6-0 spurt to lead 36-29 at the half.

UST  was once again powered by Karim Abdul who had nine points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. The Tigers got a life from Regie Basibas who added six points and 11 rebounds.

Point guard Mikee Reyes led the Maroons with nine points in the first half.

Moriah Gingerich scored on two straight triples early in the second half for UP as they got within one, 38-37, at the 7:55 mark. Reyes then caught fire as he scored 10 points in the third quarter but UST took a 54-53 lead heading into the final quarter after Aljon Mariano nailed a buzzer-beater to end the third.

The Tigers slowly pulled away in the fourth quarter as a Basibas triple gave them a nine-point lead. Minutes later, Karim Abdul gave them their first taste of a double-digit lead, 67-56, with less than four minutes left in the final period.

The Main Man: A virtual unknown, Regie Basibas introduced himself to UAAP fans with a tremendous performance against UP. In 29 minutes, he scored 16 points and grabbed a whopping 18 rebounds. Prior to this game, his total for the season was two points and four rebounds in 22 minutes.

Honorable Mentions: Abdul had 21 points, Mariano added 13, while Vigil chipped in 11 to serve as back-ups for Basibas

Game Turning Point: The Tigers tightened their defense to start the fourth quarter. They packed the paint, forcing UP to hoist long shots or turn the ball over. On the other end, they relied on a inside-outside attack anchored on Basicas, Abdul, Vigil, and Mariano. They built an 11-point lead with less than four minutes in the game to take the game away from UP’s reach.

He Said It:

UST head coach Bong dela Cruz:  Buhay pa sa Final Four. One game at a time. One possession at a time.

The scores

UST 77: Abdul 21, Basibas 16, Mariano 13, Vigil 11, Sheriff 4, Lo 2, Gayosa 2, Lao 1, Pe 0, Dela Cruz 0.

UP 65: Reyes 22, Gingerich 9, Dario 9, Vito 8, Gallarza 7, Moralde 4, Lao 3, Juruena 3, Asilum 0, Amar 0, Harris 0, Bederi 0.

Quarters: 20-11, 36-29, 54-53, 77-65.