Tigers squeak past Tamaraws in double OT thriller
Shorthanded and all, University of Santo Tomas continues to find ways to win.
The Growling Tigers missed the services of gunner Jeric Teng again but mustered enough strength to outlast the Far Eastern U Tamaraws in two overtimes Sunday afternoon with a thrilling 79-78 victory in UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball action at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Karim Abdul muscled his way to a game-high 24 points, five coming in the second overtime, plus 12 rebounds and a big block in the stretch while getting enough support from his teammates as UST notched its second straight win and sixth overall in 11 outings, moving up to fifth.
Not only did the Growling Tigers avenge a 67-77 defeat in their initial meeting last July 21, they also sent the Tamaraws tumbling to second spot as they dropped their fourth game in the last five outings for an 8-4 mark, now half-a-game adrift of streaking National U Bulldogs.
Terrence Romeo tallied 19 points but none in the last five minutes as FEU saw an end to its three-game winning streak in extended games.
The Main Man: Karim Abdul has found rejuvenation in the second round and that’s clearly good news for UST.
A member of last year’s Mythical Team, the 6-foot-6 Cameroonian took charge when the Tigers needed him the most, banging in five big points, highlighted by a go-ahead completed three-point play for a 79-76 cushion with 32.3 seconds.
Abdul then capped his solid outing with a big deflection on Mac Belo's baseline jumper that virtually sealed the deal for UST.
Honorable Mention: Wihout Jeric Teng, veteran Aljon Mariano stepped up to the plate and delivered the goods, coming two assists shy of a triple double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. The 6-foot-3 forward also drilled in a booming triple that knotted the game at 62-allwith 4.9 seconds and eventually forced the first overtime.
Kevin Ferrer also came up big with 15 points and also had four assists, spiked by his feed on Tata Bautista who made a big trey that made it 70-all with 10.9 seconds left, leading to the second extra period.
Game Turning Point: Karim Abdul shattered the game’s last tie with a completed three-point play off an RR Garcia foul, putting the Tigers on top anew 79-76 with 32.3 seconds to play.
Off a timeout, Mike Tolomia converted a lay-up that pulled FEU within solitary point then the Tamaraws made one big defensive stop, swarming UST guard Tata Bautista and forcing him to turn the ball over at the sideline, time down to just 18.3 seconds.
FEU had the golden chance to steal the win when Mac Belo found himself wide open at the corner but Abdul soared high to block the shot. Belo received but lost the ball going up for the game-winner.
With just 1.5 seconds left, Kevin Ferrer, who got a preemptive foul from Gryann Mendoza, deliberately missed both free throws.
They Said It:
UST coach Pido Jarencio: “It’s all about the players. They didn’t give up. ‘Yung effort, desire at puso nandu’n. ‘Yun ang mga hinahanap ko na nawala sa amin. Itong si Karim, may gustong patunayan sa sarili niya ngayon second rounbd. He was slumping in the first round. Pinakita niya ngayon.”
UST center Karim Abdul: “It’s all about the heart and the will to win. When I saw Belo taking the shot, I remembered when (Roi) Sumang drove on (Ed) Daquioag in UE’s last shot where I tried to block him but I was short. So when I saw Belo taking the three, I did everything to be able to block him.”
The scores:
UST (79) – Abdul 24, Mariano 21, Ferrer 15, Lo 8, Bautista 6, Pe 2, Daquioag 2, Sheriff 1, Lao 0.
FEU (78) – Romeo 19, Belo 15, Mendoza 13, Garcia 8, Hargrove 6, Cruz 6, Tolomia 5, Pogoy 4, Sentcheu 2, Jose 0.
Quarterscores: 10-16, 21-32, 43-44, 62-62, 70-70, 79-78.
