PCCL: Growling Tigers get revenge on Blue Eagles

(Updated 5:50pm) After getting swept in the Finals of the UAAP, the UST Growling Tigers were aching for revenge.

The University of Santo Tomas Tigers defeated the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, 76-66, in Final Four round-robin play of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League, Wednesday, at the FilOil Flying V Arena.

Ateneo, coached by interim head coach Gabby Severino, tried to overcome a 16-point deficit in the third quarter but came up short in the final period, where they got no closer than eight.

Jeric Teng led the Growling Tigers in scoring with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists.

“I want UST to win the championship in the PCCL,” said the shooting guard, adding that he was using their runner-up finish against Ateneo in the UAAP as motivation in this tournament.

Early on, despite playing against a smaller Ateneo line-up, UST struggled to score in the paint. Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles started aggressively as Kiefer Ravena and Tonino Gonzaga dropped a pair of baskets to take an early 8-2 lead.

Oping Sumalinog, who started at power forward, knocked down back-to-back three's for Ateneo, but then it was the Tigers’ turn to find their rhythm, as Jeric Teng and Melo Afuang scored UST’s next 10. A post-up move by Aljon Mariano knotted the score at 14-all with two and a half minutes remaining.

Graduating players Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva chipped in a bucket each to give the Eagles an 18-16 lead after the first quarter.

The Tigers continued to crash the boards in the second quarter, resulting to points in the paint by Mariano and Ferrer. UST limited Ateneo to only one field goal in the first four minutes, an and-one off from a Salva fastbreak, to equalize the game at 25-apiece.

Ateneo took consolation in a combined 7-for-7 mark from the free throw line, but they could not get much going from the field. The Eagles managed only two more field goals in the last 1:50 of the second quarter.

On the other end of the floor, Teng scored at will for the Tigers. He poured in nine points from all over the floor as UST ended the half with a 17-7 blast. By halftime, Teng had tallied 17 points.

Ateneo’s woes carried on in the third quarter, as Karim Abdul took the reins for the Tigers, notching seven of his side's first nine to take a 51-39 lead.

UST began to wax hot from midrange as well. Jumpers by Teng and Afuang contributed to an 8-4 swing to take a 16-point margin, the biggest of the game for either side.

Beyond Ravena, who scored eight points in the quarter, the Eagles produced little as UST took a 59-46 lead into the final period.

In the fourth quarter, Salva scored six to try to breathe life into Ateneo’s offense. A pair of Salva charities triggered an 11-4 surge that brought Ateneo within single digits, 70-62, for the first time since early in the third quarter with less than three minutes to play.

Before they lost their grip however, Jeric Fortuna drilled in a trey for UST to bring the lead back up to 11 with under two minutes to play, and Ateneo never threatened to come back after that.

Salva and Slaughter combined for 12 of the Blue Eagles’ 20 fourth quarter points.

UST out-rebounded Ateneo 48-28. - AMD, GMA News


Quarter scores: 16-18, 42-32, 59-46, 76-66