UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) seeks a share of the lead, while Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle eye crucial victories before their highly anticipated weekend duel in Season 78 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Growling Tigers battle the Green Archers at 4 p.m., while the Blue Eagles try to bounce back from a disappointing loss against season host University of the Philippines (UP) at 2 p.m.
UST is holding the second spot with a 4-1 win-loss record. The Tigers are coming off a come-from-behind 68-58 victory over Ateneo, where the Growling Tigers stormed back from a 16-point deficit in the second half.
They are up against a rejuvenated De La Salle squad, which finally won back-to-back in the season after surviving a late run by University of the East, 71-64, and catch the Blue Eagles in the standings at 3-2.
UST has been the biggest surprise of the season, winning four of its first five games to emerge as a legitimate contender for a Final Four berth.
But Growling Tigers Head Coach Bong de la Cruz downplayed what they have achieved so far and urged his players to continue to work hard and prepare for a big battle against the Green Archers.
“Malayo pa ang tournament. We have not achieved anything yet. We just have to continue to play hard each game,” said de la Cruz, who is in his second year at the helm of the España-based team.
Kevin Ferrer, playing his final year for UST, delivered a career game against Ateneo with a personal-best of 27 points despite nursing a fever.
The Green Archers rode Jeron Teng and rookie Andrei Caracut against UE. Head Coach Juno Sauler also got quality minutes from Larry Muyang.
Teng and Caracut each had 16 points for the Taft-based team, while Muyang, a prized find from Pampanga, had a double-double performance of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Standings: FEU 5-1, UST 4-1, Ateneo 3-2, La Salle 3-2, NU 3-3, UP 2-3, UE 2-4, Adamson 0-6.