UAAP: Tigers rip Tams out of Final Four, 80-69

The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers shredded the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 80-69, in their scramble for the final slot of the UAAP basketball Final Four on Monday at the Araneta Coliseum. It was the Tams who first got the lead, in the first quarter, at 19-17, but the Tigers, enduring much pressure as defending champs, rallied in the second quarter, closing the half with a 14-point lead, 39-25. The Tigers dumped an even bigger lead over the Tams in the third quarter – 20 points, with the score at 63-43. The Tigers, who had been tied with the Tamaraws in third with 8-6 win-loss cards, improved its standing to 9-6. The Tigers' next opponent will be the loser of the game scheduled for Tuesday, between long-time arch rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles and La Salle Green Archers. The winner between the Archers and the Eagles will earn the No. 2 ranking and the twice-to-beat privilege against the winner of the playoff between Nos. 3 and 4. Intense pressure The victory lifted the intense pressure off the Tigers as defending champions and crushed the hopes of the Tamaraws for a shot at the finals. It was no mean feat for the Tigers, considering that they have 10 rookies, which the Tamaraws took advantage of in beating them twice in the eliminations. Actually, the Tigers began the game still smarting from an 84-73 beating they got from the Tamaraws last Thursday, which took away their golden opportunity to make the Final Four outright. On Monday, the pressure on both teams turned to friction halfway through the very first quarter. In a rebound scramble in the Tigers' court, the Tams' Reil Cervantes went down on the floor with the ball, with Khasim Mirza, also on his back, trying to snatch it away. On getting up, Mirza started to take a step toward toward Cervantes, but other players blocked him. Mirza and Cervantes got a technical foul each. And possession went to the Tamaraws. Leading MVP contender For his first five, Tamaraws coach Glen Capacio fielded Mark Barroca, Marnel Baracael, Benedict Fernandez, JR Cawaling, and Reil Cervantes. For his starting lineup, Tigers coach Pido Jarencio fielded John Paul Cuan, Jervy Cruz, Khasim Mirza, Mark Angelo Canlas, and Dylan Ababou. Canlas gave the Tigers their very first basket, a two-pointer, but Cervantes replied for the Tams with a three-pointer. But throughout the game, it was Jervy Cruz who proved why he is the league's leading center and MVP contender by making 17 big points and 14 rebounds for the Tigers. Cruz, with an average of 16 points and 16 rebounds in 14 elimination round games, put an exclamation point to the game by drilling two free throws to up his team's lead to 14 points at 80-66 with less than 30 seconds left in the contest. Relentless The Tigers led at the half with a score of 37-25 due to their tremendous trapping defense against the Tams, who failed to convert on most of their shots. In the third quarter, the Tigers were relentless. They led by as much as 24 points at one point, setting the score at 59-35, courtesy of rookie-sensation Khasim Mirza with less than two minutes left in the game. Mirza's performance delighted the thousands of UST students, alumni, and supporters watching the crucial game. But the Tams were able to keep the lead to just 20 points at the end of the third quarter with crucial baskets. Last-quarter charge The fourth period saw the Tams' Paul Sanga and Mac-Mac Baracael sinking several three-pointers, cutting the Tigers' lead to a precarious 12 points, 73-61, with 2:39 left in the game. The Tams even tried to foul point guard Japs Cuan, who was just shooting below 40 percent from the line, in an effort to stop the clock and further cut the Tigers' lead. But Cuan was able to make one of his free throws to up the Tigers' lead to 13 points at 74-61. The next play saw the Tams fumbling the ball and again fouling Cuan, who made another free throw to bring the score at 75-61, with less than two minutes left. The Tams then made another a three-point shot to cut the lead at 11 points, 75-64. But that was the end of their rally. From there on, the Tigers held on to their lead until the final buzzer sounded. 'Backs against the wall' In past games, the defending champs showed some discomfort against the Tamaraws, a team that basically resembles them in composition, in the average height of players and in their playing style. This time around, the Tigers did not show it, setting up instead outstanding defense and hustle off the boards that kept the three-point shooting of the Tams in check. "This time around we came out a better team, showing the heart of a true champion," coach Jarencio said. "Our backs were against the wall, but we did not give up and rose to the challenge." It could have been a very sorry season for the Tigers. A loss would have made them the second UAAP team to fail to enter the semifinals as defending champion. The first team with a similar experience, incidentally, was FEU, who failed to enter the 2006 Final Four after winning the UAAP crown in 2005. - GMANews.TV