FilOil: Teng explodes in OT as UST keeps Lyceum winless

Jeric Teng scored eight straight points, 11 overall, in overtime, to lift the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers past the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, 93-86, Friday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan, as part of the FilOil Flying V Hanes Preseason Cup.

UST moved over .500 to 4-3, while Lyceum continued to sink further in the standings, falling to 0-6.

UST head coach Pido Jarencio, who was in a sour mood during the last two quarters of the game, put on a jovial air in the post-game interview. “Nakachamba na naman. Tambak na e. Yun nga si Jeric ang nagtake charge dyan, pati si Aljon”, he said of his top two players.

The Growling Tigers roared back from a 13-point deficit and held the Pirates to only three field goals in the fourth quarter to force overtime. With five extra minutes, the men in black and gold outscored their counterparts by 15-11.

“Yung mga last minutes sa game, mas experienced kami dun, kasi sa UAAP yung games namin ngayon. Inikot namin yung defense namin lalo”, said Mariano.

The Pirates still had some fight left in them early in OT, as they breathed on the Tigers’ necks at 79-78 after a drive to the hoop by guard Tirso Lesmoras. The officials were forced into calling a timeoout after Aljon Mariano, who had been leading the Tigers in scoring, fell to the floor due to cramps.

Teng then put the team on his back, making a drive that usually only Mariano makes, plus the foul, 84-78. A lay-up by Lesmoras and a pair of triples by Baltazar pumped some offense into the Pirates’ flatlining play, but Teng’s scoring output provided enough of buffer to keep his Tigers safe.  By the time Teng made his last two points, the scoreboard read 93-86, and stayed that way through the last 17 seconds of the game.

Teng credits his strong play to the ample rest his coaches provided him. “Iniisip ko kasi past few games masama yung laro ko eh. Si Coach pinapahinga [ako] kaya nakarecover kami from D-League. May extra e [energy] kami sa game ngayon”, the fifth-year starter said.

Mariano and Teng led a two-pronged attack that put away the Tigers late, combining for 58 of their team’s 93 points. Mariano paced UST with 31 markers in 30 minutes of playing time, while adding eight rebounds and two assists. Teng scored 27 points and hauled in six rebounds, while Abdul chimed in with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The Tigers were without Kevin Ferrer, Jon Macasaet, and Janrey Garrido.  Ferrer sat out because of over-fatigue, says Coach Jarencio.

“Pahinga ka na, UAAP na lang tayo [maglaro]. Palit na lang ng palit ng tao. Pagdating ng UAAP iba yan, yan ang liga namin”, said Coach Jarencio of Ferrer and their upcoming season.

The Growling Tigers scored 21 points off 25 Lyceum turnovers. They also out-rebounded their counterparts 48-46, and shot 44 percent from within the arc by making 25 of their 57 shots.

Dexter Zamora sparked an 11-0 run for the Pirates, making five straight points early off a put-back and a triple. An awkward jump shot by Andrei Mendoza and a jumper from the right wing via Shane Ko added to the lead. The Tigers kept laying bricks from all over the court, and were facing an 11-point hole after Zamora made his third bucket of the game

The Growling Tigers responded with a 10-0 run of their own, after Mendoza was slapped with an unsportsmanlike foul. Pe scored UST’s first point with a split, but coach Jarencio pulled Abdul early, as the latter was called for two fouls, subbing in reserve slotman Robert Hainga. UST then started making their attempts from range, as Lo, Daquioag, Mariano and Teng  all chipped into their 10 unanswered points.

Jomari Lacastestantos stopped the bleeding for the Pirates, drawing a foul on a lay-in. After the free throw miss, Teng scored on a running jumper to inch them closer at 13-12. Afterwards, Mariano finally snared the lead on a pair of free throws, 14-13.

Azores, Teng and Lacastesantos were all awarded free throws as both teams were in penalty, and a split by Lacastesantos made it 16-15 in favor of Lyceum. A hook form Mariano though gave UST the first quarter lead at 17-16.

Both teams traded buckets early in the second quarter, as Mariano scored off a cut to extend the lead to three, to which Jerimiah  Taladua countered with a floater to make it 19-18. Mariano fired a quick three to make it a two-possession game at 22-18, but Ko punched back with a trey of his own, 22-21. A split by Mariano kept UST’s lead at two, 23-21.

Taladua kicked off a 10-3 run for the Pirates with a hoop, plus the harm. Bautista countered with a three, but Taladua, Ko, and Mark Francisco put together seven straight points for Lyceum, to give them back the lead at 31-26.

The lead swung around the five-point margin for most of the final four minutes of the quarter, until free throws by Teng and a nifty floater by Mariano cut the Lyceum lead to just two points, 40-38. Zamora, however, was keen on keeping them safe from the Tigers’ claws, as he fired a quick triple as time expired to make it a 43-38 ballgame.


The Pirates kept staving off the Tigers, as Zamora again started a scoring spurt, making the first four points of an 8-2 blast, which gave them a double-digit lead after a lay-up by Zamora. Ed Daquioag made a lay-in to cut Lyceum’s short rally, but Mendoza and Ko countered with their own two's to keep the Pirates within double digits, 55-42.

Teng, Mariano, and Abdul all chipped in for six straight points, pulling within 55-48, but a Francisco put-back made it nine anew. After the Tigers were slapped with a five-second violation, both Teng and Azores were given free throws on their shot attempts as the third quarter came to a close, 59-50.

Mariano turned into a one-man wrecking crew, going for eight straight points in the first two minutes of the fourth to cut the lead down to a single point, 59-58. Wilson Baltazar responded by hitting a triple from the right corner, one of their three field goals, 62-58. Pe nailed a jumper and Bautista dropped a three to finally turn the game UST’s way, 63-62.

Abdul split his free throws, but Baltazar’s own charities evened the game for the Pirates, 64-64. The teams traded baskets and free throws all throughout the last six minutes of the game, going through four lead changes before the last minute of regulation.

The Pirates led by three after Lesmoras stole an inbounds pass and banked in a floater, 73-70. Mariano split his free throws, 73-71, only for Lyceum reserve Daniel Garcia to block the forward's foray to the hoop, which resulted in Ko getting fouled on a drive on the other end. Ko made both free throws to up their lead to 75-71.

Abdul made both his charities after an attempt inside, 75-73. On the ensuing inbounds play, Bautista stole the ball and passed to Teng who made a short stab to even the game. Abdul again stole a a pass but failed to make the tip-in to avoid overtime.

“Puwede pa silang manalo nung last six seconds, medyo nawala lang yung spring ni Abdul. Pagod na kasi yun, pagod na sa kakapahinga,” said Coach Jarencio of Abdul, who played poorly in the game, relying on free throws for nine of his 11 points.

The Pirates actually shot well, making 31 of their 70 attempts, but gave the ball away too many times (25 turnovers). They also committed 34 fouls, which allowed UST to shoot for 28 points out of 41 total attempts from the stripe.

Zamora led his team with 21 points on nine of 14 shooting. Ko followed suit with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Baltazar chipped in 13 points.

It will be a must-win game for the Growling Tigers as they go up against the EAC Generals next Friday, May 31 at 2:30pm, in order to solidify a position in the postseason. The Pirates also play the same team on Monday at 1:45pm in hopes of improving their dismal 0-6 standing. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:    

UST 93 – Mariano 31, Teng 27, Abdul 11, Bautista 9, Daquioag 7, Pe 3, Lo 2, Hainga 2, Sheriff 1, Tan 0, Lao 0, Marata 0, Faundo 0

LPU 86 – Zamora 21, Ko 19, Baltazar 13, Taladua 9, Lesmoras 7, Francisco 6, Mendoza 4, Azores 4, Lacastesantos 3, Soliman 0, Ambohot 0, Evangelista 0, Garcia 0, Alanes 0

Quarter scoring: 17-16, 38-43, 50-59, 75-75, 93-86