UST ends 16-game losing skid vs De La Salle, 81-73

UAAP Men's Basketball Men’s standings UE 7 0 UST 5 3 DLSU 5 3 ADMU 4 3 FEU 4 3 NU 4 4 ADU 1 6 UP 0 8 Games on Sunday (Araneta Coliseum) 2 p.m. ADU vs FEU 4 p.m. UE vs ADMU The basketball invincibility of the De La Salle Green Archers (DLSU) against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers is finally gone! This after the España-based cagers ended an eight-year, 16-game losing slump against the Green Archers after they defeated the latter in overtime, 81-73, in the second game of the 70th UAAP basketball tourney before a big crowd at the Araneta Coliseum Saturday. The win boosted the Final Four aspiration of the Tigers as they are now in second place in the men standings with a 5-3 win-loss card. De La Salle, meanwhile, slid to their third defeat in eight outings and is now in third spot. Though both UST and La Salle are tied at 5-3, UST was relegated to second spot due to a better quotient. Down by 12 points, 69-57, entering the final minute of the game, UST unleashed a mind-boggling 12-0 run courtesy of baskets by key players Japs Cuan, three-point specialist Anthony Espiritu and rookie forward Khasim Mirza, and point guard Jun Cortez, to knot the count at 69-all and send the game into overtime. Incidentally, Cortez, who was sent in and out by Coach Pido Jarencio for playing listlessly during his time in the court, capped the run with a dagger of a jumper from left court that sent the thousands of Thomasian faithful in frenzy. All-in-all, La Salle went without a field goal in the last two minutes of the game as they went 0-6 from the field and self-destructed by committing numerous turnovers down the stretch to the disappointment of head coach Franz Pumaren and the La Salle crowd who earlier though they had already wrapped up the game after leading by a big margin. With the win, UST, which last won against La Salle in Game 1 of the UAAP Finals in 1999, also avenge their heart-breaking 86-90 overtime loss against the Taft-based squad last July 29. In the five-minute extension, UST was deadly as they outscored the Green Archers 12-4 to finally break the backs of their foes. Aside from the loss, La Salle also suffered a double whammy as star guard JV Casio was taken out of the court during the latter stages of the OT, after he suffered a knee injury during a loose ball play. Whether the injury is serious or not remain unknown as of press time. Jarencio, after the game, paid tribute to his boys for not giving up even though they down by a big margin in the latter stages of the fourth. “My boys finally showed the true heart of a champion, never giving up even though we were down by a big margin. Sabi ko nga nung time-out, huwag silang mag give-up at humabol lang at hindi pa tapos ang laban… Buti na lang at nag-respond sila," Jarencio said. "I hope this victory will serve as an inspiration to them to work even harder in our next games as we go for a back-to-back title," he added. Mirza, who shot blanks in the 38 minutes of the game, finally came alive in the last six minutes - bridging the fourth and overtime period - by scoring a total of nine points, was chosen as the best player. Although he was a big disappointment for missing a number of free throws, he eventually ended the game with a total of 12 points after scoring a career-high 26 points (6/7 from three-point range) against the Ateneo Blue Eagles last August 4. MVP leading candidate Jervy Cruz, who before the game, was averaging 16 points and a league-leading 16.3 rebounds in seven games, also had another monster ball game after he tallied 24 points and 24 rebounds. La Salle led at the half with a score of 55-49. Meanwhile, National University Bulldogs boosted its Final Four aspiration by blasting the still winless University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in the first game with a score of 85-66. NU is now in sixth sport with an even 4-4 record. Quarterscores: UST vs DLSU 18-19, 29-34, 49-55, 69-all, 81-73 (overtime) - GMANews.TV