Tigers unseat Bulldogs, face Tams in final

MANILA, Philippines - It will be two squads with rich winning tradition – University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern U – in a battle for the marbles that’s been 36 years in the making.

Top-ranked UST dethroned No. 4 National University with a wire-to-wire 64-55 drubbing yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to set up an explosive title duel with the waiting finalist Tamaraws.

The Tigers, owner of 18 titles overall, and the Tams, league-leader with 19, will clash for the now vacant UAAP Season 78 crown beginning Wednesday – the first time the two squads will face off again since 1979.

Determined to cash in on the win-once incentive in the Final Four, the Tigers went full throttle on offense and defense right from the opening buzzer as they set the tone with an early 15-2 lead.

The Tigers maintained a 54-42 upperhand going to the last 1:51 and quelled the final stand of the desperate Bulldogs en route to earning the right to face the No. 2 Tams, who qualified first after edging No. 3 Ateneo, 76-74, last Saturday.

“The players showed heart in this crucial game. We wanted it to be just a one-game affair and succeeded by playing good defense from start to finish,” said UST coach Bong dela Cruz, who is in his first finals appearance at the helm.

The Tigers choked the Bulldogs to a 26.87 percent clip (18 of 67) in the 40-minute encounter. The stifling defense was felt all the most by NU guard Gelo Alolino, who limped with a 1-of-17 shooting and six points in his final game for NU, and even Alfred Aroga who managed only seven on a 3-of-6 shooting.

Louie Vigil punched in a near triple-double of 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists plus two steals while Kevin Ferrer chipped in 11 and Jan Sheriff, who was subjected to a fouling spree by NU, contributed 10, in addition to hounding Alolino.

“We rotated well on defense. And the little things like boxing out, rebounding – we focused on those. On offense, we looked for the open shooters and the mismatches,” said Vigil.

“What a timing for us to play our worst game. We couldn’t get it done on both ends. I was shocked we played like that. But we have to give it to UST’s defense also,” said NU mentor Eric Altamirano.