Cubs MVP halts Eaglets fiery run

MANILA, Philippines - Kevin Ferrer flashed his MVP form as University of Sto. Tomas dealt Ateneo its first-ever loss in the UAAP Season 73 juniors basketball tournament, 77-71, yesterday at the start of the finals at The Arena.

Ferrer, set to receive the league’s top individual plum, waxed hot with 35 points, including two clutch triples in a 15-9 windup that sealed it for UST despite the ejection of key wingman Jaypee Sarcia.

With the win, the Tiger Cubs now have to beat ADMU two more times in order to erase the Blue Eaglets’ thrice-to-beat advantage in the finals, their incentive for going 14-0 in the elims.

“We really played our hearts out, we never gave up despite the struggles in the first half and the disqualification of Sarcia in the first quarter,” said UST coach Allan Ascue, whose zone defense worked in somehow stalling Kiefer Ravena’s driving plays.

Sarcia (11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per outing) was slapped a disqualifying foul for hitting Jay Sacluti while fighting off a screen with 1:26 left in the first.

The said infraction merits an automatic one-game suspension but Ascue said UST will appeal to commissioner Ato Badolato to review the video and possibly downgrade the call.

With Sarcia out, Ferrer took over, firing six treys in all and hauling down 14 rebounds while Ismael Corre lent a hand with 24, including 10 in the fourth that helped UST grab a 74-66 bulge.

Ravena still finished with 24 while Von Pessumal added 14 for Ateneo.

Earlier, the Far Eastern University Lady Tams followed the footsteps of their men’s squad as the top team heading into the UAAP Season 73 Final Four after escaping with a pulsating 60-58 win over Adamson.

Karen Columna canned a long jumper at the buzzer as the Lady Tams not only foiled Adamson’s 14-0 bid but also caught up with their victims at 13-1 and secured the No. 1 seeding in the Final Four by virtue of a higher quotient.

The Lady Tams will face fourth ranked La Salle in the semis with a twice-to-beat edge on Saturday while the defending champion Lady Falcons, relegated to No. 2 but still with the Final Four bonus, will mix it up with No. 4 UST.

Allana Lim led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds for FEU, which avenged its heartbreaking 61-62 setback in the first round. AdU won that initial encounter via a buzzer-beating trey by Anna Buendia. Columna had eight markers, including four in the fourth.

Last year’s MVP Analyn Almazan paced AdU with 15 markers, 15 rebounds, five assists and five steals.