By:
Ma. Kathryna Anne De Bustos
The University of Santo
Tomas escaped with an 83-79 victory over the Adamson University and rookie
Jericho Cruz’s 33-point breakout game in the UAAP Season 75 at the
Smart-Araneta Coliseum last September 1.
Gunslinger Jeric Teng
led the Tigers’ offensive force with 22 points, while center Karim Abdul has 19
of his own along with nine boards, giving them an edge over the tough Falcons.
From a tied 16-all
first quarter, Cruz led the surge of the Falcons in the second quarter after
scoring 19 of his 33 pints with 5-of-6 shooting from the arc, giving them a
six-point lead after the first half, 42-36.
Teng and Abdul kept the
Espana-based squad in the game, but come-back forward Aljon Mariano did the
heroic acts in the dying moments, finishing with a double-double performance of
16 points and 12 rebounds.
Mariano scored a layup
to beat the buzzer in the third quarter, giving them a 61-58 lead, following a
big 11-0 run by the Tigers triggered by Abdul.
Both teams went head to
head as they entered the final canto. From a 76-all score in the last minutes
of the game, UST dropped a 6-1 run behind Mariano’s charities, giving them
slight relief as the clock ticked 17.3 seconds.
Kevin Ferrer committed
an unsportsmanlike foul, giving Cruz two free throw plus ball possession for
Adamson with the chance to tie the game by a three-point shot; however, he lost
control of the ball, clinching the Tigers their 8th win in 11
meetings.
UST’s win boosted them
up at second place, still behind the defending champion Ateneo de Manila
University, with an 8-3 record, while Adamson fell below the standings with a
2-9 win-loss slate.
UST (83) – Teng 22, Abdul 19, Mariano 16, Bautista 11,
Ferrer 8, Fortuna 7, Vigil 0, Pe 0, Lo 0, Afuang 0
AdU (79) – Cruz 33, Rios 12, Etrone 11, Trollano 7,
Camson 5, Cabrera 5, Brondial 5, Agustin 1, Monteclaro 0, Abrigo 0
Quarterscores: 16-16,
36-42, 61-58, 83-79
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