University of Santo Tomas overcame a sluggish performance in the first half to defeat NAASCU fourth-placer St Clare College of Caloocan, 80-71, yesterday in the Wild Card phase of the 2008 Smart-KFC-PLDT Philippine Collegiate Championship at the Makati Coliseum.
Francis Allera led a strong second half assault for the España-based squad which played without star players Jervy Cruz and Japs Cuan to take its first win in the three-day Wild Card phase.
Allera, who has already completed his playing years in the UAAP this season, finished with 22 points, 19 of them coming in the second half while reserve center Chris Camus recorded 13 points.
Dylan Ababou, Clark Bautista and Mark Canlas made 11 points each to highlight the team’s well-balanced attack.
“Wala kami sa kundisyon dahil halos ilang araw lang kami nag-ensayo,” admitted UST head coach Pido Jarencio. “Pero kahit one-point, two-points or 20 points pa yan, a win is a win.”
“Gusto din namin umabot sa Sweet 16 para kahit papaano masaya din yung mga graduating players,” he added.
The Growling Tigers will be without Cruz, Cuan, Canlas, Camus, Chester Taylor and Mel Gile next season.
Aries Parinas, the Rookie of the Year winner, led the Saints with 25 points while Edu Mustre added 10 points, including a buzzer-beating three that gave them a 42-41 halftime lead after trailing by 11 points late in the first period.
A basket by Richmond Sibal gave the Saints their last taste of the lead, 53-51, until Camus, Ababou and Bautista connected on consecutive triples to put UST on top for good, 60-53, with 1:15 remaining in the third.
Meanwhile, Lyceum of the Philippines University survived the strong challenge of NAASCU runner-up STI College to score an 88-86 win.
Joseph Araya and Glen Taguiba led the team with 19 and 14 points, respectively.
The Pirates rallied mightily from a 75-85 deficit but bungled a potential game-tying shot.
In other games, UCAA runner-up Emilio Aguinaldo College defeated De Ocampo College, 80-70, as Julius Quiambao made 26 points for the Generals, while Las Piñas College trounced St. Francis of Assisi, 62-53.
The tournament will be a single round robin with the top two teams of each group qualify for the zonal tournament set next month.
The top two teams in the four zonal phases will advance to the Sweet 16 tournament on November 24 joining Ateneo de Manila, San Beda College, University of the Visayas, De La Salle, Jose Rizal University, San Sebastian College Recoletos de Cavite, Universal College of Nursing and Manuel L. Quezon University