A good fight is a good fight, but the UST Growling Tigers would rather take a win to cement their Final Four bid.
The UST Growling Tigers came very close to swinging the upset axe against the La Salle Green Archers in their 87-94 loss at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.
Down 61-74 with 5:43 left in the fourth quarter, the Tigers unleashed a huge 19-6 run built on crucial baskets from Forth Padrigao, Kyle Paranada, Nic Cabañero, and Mo Tounkara. A Mike Phillips’ unsportsmanlike foul gave the Tigers a chance to seal their win, only for Padrigao to split his chances at the charity stripe.
It was all La Salle in overtime, with the Archers converting their crucial free throws. A Mike Phillips layup at the 1:40 mark stretched La Salle’s advantage to 10, 81-91 as the Tigers struggled to find their shot throughout the extra period.
So while the Tigers mounted a gallant stand, moral victories will not improve their bid at a Final Four comeback. UST still slid to a 4-5 record, only a game ahead of fifth-placed Adamson (3-5) as of writing.
“Ayun, it’s a good thing na lumaban kami, pero it’s not enough eh. Na sa second round na rin tayo and ‘di na enough ‘yung lumaban lang kami. We really need those wins kasi, since ang goal naman talaga namin is Final Four eh. I’m happy naman with the team, but then again kailangan na namin manalo,” Padrigao said as he made his way out of the UST dugout.
Padrigao also took accountability for his missed free throw: “Wala eh, mintis eh. Ganun talaga, pero wala. Mintis ko talaga ‘yung pangalawa eh, I think that’s really, really on me.”
“Pero I love how we fought throughout this game. I mean down by 20 and then came back. ‘Yun nga lang, free throws, last stretch of the game mintis pa. Would’ve won the game, but then you know, wala,” he lamented.
Still, this disappointing loss will be a great help for them. UST has been on the losing end since the UAAP’s return in 2022, and Season 87 marks this core’s first clear shot at a Final Four berth.
“I think ‘yung experiences na ganito talagang malaking bagay sa amin, I think it would help our team moving forward. Kasi I don’t think we experienced these kinds of situations before pa naman eh, closest yata I think was NU but then we won that game,” Padrigao said, referring to their fourth-quarter comeback against the Bulldogs in Round 1.
“Itong La Salle, ang hirap din eh, hirap din talaga with all the players and it’s a championship team, ‘yung samahan nila sa loob ng court. I think one thing na sana ma-learn din namin from La Salle is ‘yung kahit anong adversity na hinaharap nila, eh kaya nilang i-overcome, or sama sama nilang hinaharap.”
‘We were not surprised’
Meanwhile, La Salle head coach Topex Robinson and reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao tipped their hat off to the Tigers following the major scare. Robinson was least surprised with UST’s showing, given the target on the Archers’ back as defending champions.
UST also forced the Archers to commit a season-worst 26 turnovers, with some fueling the Tigers’ late rally in the final period.
“I mean, Coach Pido and the rest of the staff there, they’re really doing a tremendous job in making sure they have a competitive group,” said Robinson. “You know, we made a lot of mistakes down the line and again, that’s part of our growth…it’s another opportunity for us to learn.”
Quiambao stressed the importance of discipline for the whole 40 minutes, given the Archers’ complacency after ending the third quarter with a 65-56 advantage.
“Kasi hindi naman natatapos ‘yung game ng third quarter. After nung third quarter, medyo nag-relax kami and ‘yun nga, sinabi samin ni coach, pinaalalahanan na ayun nga, baka mag-comeback ‘yung UST, be prepared,” said Quiambao, who recorded a career-high 29 points against the Tigers.
After three straight losing campaigns, the UST Growling Tigers have given the España faithful a reason to cheer loud and proud again this Season 87. And while they’ve lost to title contenders UP and La Salle, they have shown clear signs of being able to keep up with the two.
Now, it’s just a matter of ironing out the kinks as they return to relevance in the UAAP.
“UST is really a well-deserving team, that they get the respect also of the league, so ‘yun nga ‘yung kanina, gone are the days that they’re going to be a pushover in this season. So I’m really excited for that UST team kasi ang sarap din nila panoorin,” said Robinson.
Banner image courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.