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UAAP: Tigers trump Maroons in low-scoring affair


Kevin Ferrer and the rest of the UST Growling Tigers limited UP to a 19 percent clip for another win. KC Cruz

With Jeric Teng in and out of the line-up for most of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers' up-and-down season, a match-up against the league's winless team was a godsend.

The UST Growling Tigers ravaged the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, 63-39, at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, as the second round of UAAP Season 76 draws to a close.

The Growling Tigers keep their postseason bid alive and breathing at 7-5, edging past the defending champions ADMU Blue Eagles (6-5) slightly, for fourth place. while UP comes closer to yet another winless season at 0-12.

[Review the play-by-play of this game here]

"Para kay Teng talaga yun," said a jovial UST coach Pido Jarencio. "Warm up ni Teng."

The super-senior, this time coming back from hamstring injury, chipped in nine points, as his team annihilated the Maroons by going on a 23-6 scoring outburst in the fourth, while holding the Maroons to just 19 percent shooting overall, the lowest field goal percentage ever posted in a UAAP game.

The Maroons also tied a record for the lowest output ever in a game, as their 39 points equaled the output of the National University Bulldogs posted last September 11, 2001, in a game against the Ateneo Blue Eagles, according to UAAP statistician Pong Ducanes.

The Black and Gold crashed the glass, out-rebounding the Maroons 71-41, with Cameroonian center Karim Abdul snagging 21 of them. They assisted on 15 of their shots and capitalized on their fast break opportunities.

Aljon Mariano filled the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists, while Kevin Ferrer added 12 points and nine boards. Ed Daquioag poured in nine of his own, and Abdul added seven markers to his rebounds.

Joseph Marata came to life early for the Maroons, hitting long-range jumpers to give his Maroons a 9-8 edge, until the Tigers gained some separation after Jon Sheriff zipped a half court pass to Aljon Mariano to make it a three-point lead, 14-11. A hook by Maroons forward Chris Ball however made it a 14-13 first quarter.

The Tigers wasted no time early in the second half, clawing the Maroons for eight straight points, six of them coming from triples by Kevin Ferrer. UST went on to score nine unanswered to make it a double-digit lead at 23-13, but the Maroons responded with a seven-point swing of their own, 23-20, entering the intermission.

At the break, UST dominated the glass 38-24. They also out-shot UP 29 percent versus 21 percent, with the Maroons making only 8-of-39 from the field.

Kevin Ferrer scored 12 to pace the Tigers, while Marata accounted for seven markers for State U.

Joseph Marata (C) was the sole bright spot of the UP Fighting Maroons. KC Cruz

Both teams upped the ante on the offensive end after the break, as UST made it a six-point lead after a lay-in by reserve Paulo Pe. The Maroons made it difficult to gain some separation, cutting their deficit to just two points after free throws by Kyles Lao, but four straight by Mariano and free throws by Teng, his first points in the ball game, gave UST their biggest lead to that point, 36-28.

UP trimmed the lead to just three after a triple by Marata from the right elbow and a basket in transition by rookie Paul Desiderio, 36-33. Teng's first triple cut short the UP rally, giving them another six-point advantage,  while a split by Kent Lao ended the third quarter with UST up seven-point, 40-33.

Coach Jarencio and his boys put the pedal to the metal in the fourth, torching the UP defense to lead by as much as 24 points in the decisive quarter. UP looked gassed and hurt as the Tigers kept pounding, out-scoring the Maroons 24-6, to breathe some life into their bid to return to the UAAP Finals.

When the dust settled, UP made only 15-of-81 shot attempts, even if they turned the ball over only 10 times. Only one Maroon managed to score in double-digits, as former DLSU Green Archer Marata notched 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

UST - Mariano 18, Ferrer 12, Teng 9, Daquioag 9 Abdul 7, Bautista 3, Pe 2, Faundo 2, Lao 1, Lo 0, Sheriff 0, Hainga 0, Tan 0

UP - Marata 12, Lao 6, Soyud 5, Ball 5, Wong 2, Suarez 2, Gallarza 2, Desiderio 2, Asilum 2, Harris 1, Pascual 0, Paras 0, Gingerich 0, Amar 0

Quarter scoring: 14-13, 23-20, 40-33, 63-39
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