PCCL: UST Growling Tigers advance to Final Four

(Updated 5:57pm) The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers defeated the Adamson University Falcons, 88-64, Monday, in the Philippine Collegiate Championship Tournament at the FilOil Flying V Arena. UST now joins the UAAP champions Ateneo Blue Eagles, NCAA champions San Beda Red Lions, and the South Western University Cobras in the PCCL Final Four. The round-robin games begin on Wednesday, all to be held at the Fil Oil Flying V Arena. Aljon Mariano led his team with 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists. The Tigers ended the Falcons’ Cinderella run of seven consecutive victories in the tournament, stopping them a game shy of the next round.   Jericho Cruz opened the game with a three-pointer for the Falcons, but they were unable to get much else going. They had trouble securing the defensive glass, giving the Tigers more attempts to score. UST plugged away from the perimeter as three straight triples from Jeric Teng, Jeric Fortuna and Kim Lo made the bulk of an early 11-3 lead. Counting a combined 2-for-6 mark from the line by Roider Cabrera, Adamson scrapped together only seven points in the last eight minutes of a frustrating first quarter. The Tigers cooled off from the field as well, but took a 16-10 lead into the second period. The Falcons shook off the early game rust come the second, where gutsy play allowed them to momentarily take a 19-18 lead, thanks to a triple by EJ Camson. But UST stayed ahead by exploiting Adamson’s poor transition defense with easy lay-ups, resulting in a 10-5 counter to reinstate a 28-24 advantage. As the quarter wound down, Rodney Brondial fell out of bounds chasing a loose ball. Brondial injured his right knee in the process and had to be carried off the court on a stretcher. With Brondial off the floor, the Tigers muscled their way for boards and points in the paint, finishing the half with a 33-28 lead. Adamson benefited from better spacing and ball movement when play resumed. Camson made consecutive shots and scored six points to trigger an 11-6 swing to draw Adamson within one, 40-39. Ajon Mariano pushed back for the Tigers, erupting for 10 points in a 12-2 run. Adamson’s Cruz, who posted 36 points for the Falcons against San Sebastian on Sunday, fouled out with 3:20 remaining in the period, on a technical foul for displaying resentment to a call. Mariano nailed both charities. Brondial checked back in for Adamson and scored two points before the quarter closed, and his team faced a 58-45 deficit heading into the final quarter. Led by Clark Bautista, the Tigers put down a scrappy line-up of Falcons reserves in the fourth quarter. The designated gunner buried three triples to extinguish potential Adamson rallies and extended the lead to 74-55 with five minutes to play. With the outcome becoming more and more apparent, both teams’ threw in the towel as the Tigers’ bench ran up the score in garbage time. UST will face off against the ADMU Blue Eagles on Wednesday at 4pm in a rematch of the UAAP Finals, while the SWU Cobras take on the SBC Red Lions in the opener.  - AMD, GMA News Quarter scoring: 16-10, 34-28, 58-45, 88-64