MANILA, Philippines – Santo Tomas drew strength from mammoth efforts by Aljon Mariano and Jeric Teng as it turned back an upset-conscious Lyceum, 93-86, in overtime to bolster its quarterfinal chances in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup at The Arena in San Juan City Friday.
Mariano unleashed an explosive 31-point effort while Teng fired an equally impressive 27-point performance as the Tigers nailed their fourth win against three losses in Group B to remain in the quarterfinal hunt.
UST trailed by as much as 13 points in the third quarter, clawed its way back to lead by a point on a booming triple by Clark Bautista, before trailing again late in the fourth period, 71-75.
But the Tigers, runners up to eventual reigning UAAP titlist Ateneo last season, tightened up the defensive screws to force OT where Mariano and Teng worked wonders to help seal the deal.
In the other game, Adamson needed a late blast to overcome a gutsy University of the Philippines, 76-70, to likewise boost its quarterfinal stock.
Lyceum, which also blew a big lead before dropping a 72-82 loss to University of the East last Wednesday, fell to its sixth straight setback.