MANILA, Philippines – Call it mastery of their game or that of an opponent or whatever.
Up until where it mattered most, the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers once again reinforced public perception and proved right there and sundry they have all the key solving a puzzle that is the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.
Fight did the Fighting Maroons all throughout the end part of a twice-to-beat advantage but all that the Growling Tigers needed was a dagger and a gem of a trey from Renzo Subido with 23.6 seconds left as the UST Growling Tigers squeaked past the UP Fighting Maroons, 68-65 before a sellout crowd.
That triple, which will surely be etched forever in UAAP history books, roused up the UST’s Yellow Crowd to its feet and at the same time doused all hopes of the Fighting Maroons at bringing the game into overtime and facing Ateneo in the Finals of the 82nd UAAP men’s basketball tournament.
Instead, it will not be UST against Ateneo in the Finals.
For the record, the Tigers beat the Maroons in all their four (4) previous meetings this season including UP’s twice-to-beat advantage.
Game 1 of the best-of-three title series between UST and Ateneo starts at 4 pm on Saturday, November 16 at the Araneta Coliseum.
Fittingly, the fourth-seeded UST forged the knockout match after dumping UP by 20 points, 89-69, last Sunday, November 10.
Crucial as the rubber-match between the two squads, the Mall of Asia Arena saw a massive sellout crowd of 18,548 Wednesday, 13 November 2019. (IAMIGO/CNS)
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