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The UST Tiger Cubs grab their first UAAP juniors' basketball championship
(UAAP Media Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines -- After 24 years, the juniors’ basketball crown is back in Espana.
The University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs are UAAP champions once again after outlasting the National University Bullpups, 83-77, in overtime of the winner-take-all Game 3 Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
This is UST’s first championship in the juniors’ level since 2001, when Jun Cortez and Japs Cuan led the school to the title.
Finals Most Valuable Player Racine Kane had a monster double-double of 28 points, 17 rebounds, two blocks, two steals and an assist on 13-of-33 field goal shooting. He carried the load in overtime, with NU’s Collins Akowe fouled out.
Koji Buenaflor added a double-double of 12 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
With the game tied at 74-all at the end of regulation, UST started the overtime period with six straight points, going up 80-74 with 2:14 remaining.
A 3-pointer by Roje Matias, his only field goal of the game, cut the lead to three, 77-80, but those were NU’s lone points in the period.
A split from the line by Kane gave UST an 81-77 lead, but NU could not creep closer.
Free throws by Kirk Canete iced the game.
The Bullpups tried to inch closer, but could not connect as time expired.
After trailing by as much as 17 points, 46-29, in the first half, NU climbed out of the hole and tied things up in the fourth quarter, 64-all, after a 3-pointer by Iver Napa.
UST, though, fired up five straight points from Kane and Charles Bucsit to push the lead, 69-64, with 2:09 remaining.
But the Bullpups went down swinging, moving to within striking distance down the stretch.
NU sliced the deficit to one, 72-73, with 25.7 seconds remaining after a split from the line by Jid Locsin.
A pair of free throws were missed by Wacky Ludovice, and NU had the chance to take the lead. However, Bucsit completed a huge defensive play, getting the steal as the Bullpups were forced to foul him.
Bucsit missed the first and made the second, opening a window of opportunity open for NU.
And it was a chance they did not squander, as a late putback by MIguel Palanca tied things up at 74-all.
UST’s alley-oop play for the win was broken, taking the game into overtime.
Charles Esteban added 11 markers for UST, while Ludovice and Carl Manding had 10 apiece.
Akowe flexed his muscles inside with 23 points and 24 rebounds to go with four blocks and three assists before fouling out. Palanca chipped in 21 markers and 13 boards.
