MANILA, Philippines - University of Santo Tomas mustered enough endgame poise and neutralized a potential La Salle squeaker with a crucial defensive stop to escape with a 73-72 Game 1 win in the finals of the
Kevin Ferrer pumped in 20 points on a 5-of-8 shooting clip to lead the Tigers, who moved one win away from a 19th championship after a nip-and-tuck affair.
“It’s just the breaks of the game,†said UST coach Pido Jarencio at a post-game interview.
The Archers had the chance to steal the win but Karim Abdul blocked LA Revilla's potential game-clinching lay-up, leading to a scramble as time expired.
Jeric Teng finished with 17 points and 7 assists to back the Espana-based cagers, who have a chance to wrap up the series on Saturday.