UAAP: Cabañero credits UST's 3OT win over Ateneo as key to latest conquest of tough FEU

For skipper Nic Cabañero, UST didn’t have to look far to see what helped the Growling Tigers to pull through against FEU.

“That triple overtime win against Ateneo really boosted us up. The coaches helped us and motivated us to push our limits this game despite our sloppy start,” Cabañero revealed in the aftermath of UST’s 92-80 win over the Tamaraws.

Four days after that grueling marathon win over Ateneo, UST started stagnant against a FEU side despite having a three-day rest. 

[ALSO READ: UAAP: Defiant UST survives Ateneo in 3OT thriller, grabs share of Season 88 lead]

The Growling Tigers and the  Tamaraws squad went back and forth, with nine lead changes in the first half and neither team ahead by more than eight points.

But in the final frame, Cabañero took the spotlight, scoring eight of his 14 points in that period as the Growling Tigers leaned on a strong 29-18 finishing kick to improve to 5-1.

The 22-year-old admitted he was simply following the instructions of head coach Pido Jarencio, explaining his late burst of basketball prowess.

“Si coach Pido [Jarencio] really instructed me to be the decoy. I knew Kyle and Gelo had a great game, and I trusted them and my teammates,” he said.

Cabanero did just that as he watched Kyle Paranda topscored the team with 19 markers while Gelo Crisostomo scored six of the team’s final eight points.

“Nag-struggle kami nung una, but it does not back us down. It’s also about the mental [aspect of the game] and mataas pa rin ‘yung respeto namin sa FEU,” he added. 

FEU's Janrey Pasaol finished with 22 points and eight assists in the losing effort, while Mo Konateh added a double-double outing of 19 points and 11 rebounds.

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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.

Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.