UE routs UST, 99-82, to gain ‘Final Four’ berth

The University of the East (UE) Red Warriors grabbed an automatic Final Four berth after they routed defending champion University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, 99-82, in the first game of the 70th UAAP men's basketball tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City Sunday. The victory propelled UE to an immaculate 9-0 win-loss card as they put more distance between their closest pursuers. The loss, meanwhile, dropped UST's win-loss record to 5-4, good for third place. The Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws and the De La Salle (DLSU) Green Archers, on the other hand, are currently tied in second place with a 5-3 card but they will go separate ways as they battle in the second game also set at the Astrodome. Unheralded center Manny Llagas was named best player after he scattered 23 big points, six rebounds and three assists for his team. Prized rookie Khasim Mirza, who scored 16 points in their miraculous overtime win over De La Salle last August 11 at the Big Dome, led the Tigers in scoring with 22 points. He led UST in scoring in the first half with 14 points (4/6 from three point range) but went cold in the second half. UE got hot in the first quarter of play when it led 7-0 with nine minutes left. However, Mirza, 6-2 forward Anthony Espiritu, MVP leading contender Jervy Cruz and Mark Canlas joined forces to cut the lead to a manageable level at six points 28-22 at the end of first period. The second quarter was a shoot-out as both teams hit their shots from the three point range. However, UE managed to maintain its composure as they led by three-points at the half, 48-45. However, things got awry for the Tigers as their shots failed to drill in with UE taking advantage of this as they scored on fast-break points and long bombs behind to take a 12 point lead at 72-60 after the third period. UST got its bearing together early in the fourth period when it uncorked a 12-7 run to cut the lead at seven, 79-72, with under seven minutes left. However, UE took the fight out of the defending champs as they close out the game with a 20 to 12 run and finished the game with a score of 99-82. UST never led in the game. There were two deadlocks in the ball game, the last at 30-all after a three-pointer by Mirza. UST shot 15/28 from the field in the first half compared to UE's 20/38. The Tigers, however, has more rebounds with 23 compared to the Red Warrior's 17. UST also has less turnover, 7 to 11. Quarterscores: UE-UST: 28-22, 48-45, 72-60, 99-82