BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
University of Santo Tomas (UST) escaped with an 85-82 win over University of the East (UE) to return to the win column of the UAAP Season 85 boys’ basketball tournament at the FilOil EcoOil Centre on Sunday, February 5.
Charles Esteban scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half as the Tiger Cubs ended a three-game losing streak, finishing the first round with a 3-4 win-loss record.
The Junior Warriors tried to force overtime, but Andrei de Leon missed a long triple in the dying seconds.
UST coach Jinino Manansala stressed the importance of the game to stay within the Final Four range entering the second round.
“Do or die kasi ito dahil sa ranking. Sure na kami sa No. 4. Credit sa mga UST boys, ibinigay nila ang best nila,” Manansala said, as the Tiger Cubs bucked the absence of injured guard James Jumao-as.
“Iba pa rin na nandiyan si James kapag nasa loob. Pero siyempre, may magse-step-up tulad ni Charles [Esteban], nagulat ako he scored 29 points. Grabe, kakaiba ang ipinakita nito,” he added.
Mark Llemit chipped in 22 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks for the Tiger Cubs, who ended a three-game slide.
Later, De La Salle-Zobel posted its first winning streak of the season with a 76-61 win over University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS).
Junjun Melecio, the brother of former star Junior Archer Aljun, came through with 24 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Kieffer Alas and Rhyle Melencio each scored 14 points.
De La Salle mentor Boris Aldeguer was pleased that they ended the first round on a high note, as the Junior Archers took care of business by beating the slumping Junior Fighting Maroons and tying the Tiger Cubs at 3-4.
“Well, that’s our goal. Beat the teams that we can beat. And we were able to do it,” Aldeguer said.
“There’s gonna be one slot in the Final Four that we will be fighting for. This is a good win for us, if we want to get that slot. Very important game and hopefully, we get to add more wins from our current standing,” he added.
Melecio credited his teammates for De La Salle-Zobel’s crucial win.
“This victory was a group win. All of us helped the team and we were just aiming to win one game at a time. Every time, I just keep reminding my teammates to play our game,” Melecio said.
The Fighting Maroons and the Junior Warriors ended up at 1-6 in seventh and eighth places. (ABS-CBN News)