The UST Growling Tigers are back on the winning track in UAAP Season 88 thanks to the late-game heroics of veteran Nic Cabañero against UE.
Nic Cabañero shifted gears at just the right time as he helped the UST Growling Tigers keep the UE Red Warriors at bay, 109-97, in UAAP Season 88 men's basketball at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Wednesday.
UST moves up with a 6-5 record at 4th place, just a game behind the DLSU Green Archers.
After scoring 10 points through the first three quarters, Cabañero uncorked a 9-point burst in the last five and a half minutes of the ballgame to repulse the Red Warriors who were battling back from a 27-point deficit with a big fourth quarter.
Even as UE threatened when they were within single digits late, Cabañero took it upon himself to hit clutch basket after clutch basket — including a jump shot that pushed UST’s lead to 11, 104-93, with less than two minutes to go.
Following a difficult stretch where they lost four straight games after a 5-1 start to the year, UST assistant coach Japs Cuan credited his player for stepping up to the challenge.
“Siguro yung difference [this game] is yung willingness nila nung end game, especially si Nic, nagtake over si Nic.” Cuan said.
Taking a backseat in the first couple of quarters to the offense of Gelo Crisostomo and the domineering Collins Akowe, Cabañero’s veteran leadership became the key to victory, especially against a desperate UE team that were still winless in 12 games.
[RELATED: UAAP: UST pummels hapless UE to revive Final Four hopes]
Cabañero ended up with a game-high 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting along with five rebounds and three assists.
Akowe added a double-double of 16 points and 16 boards. Crisostomo added 14 markers.
Over on the UE side, who has now lost 18 games in a row, Wello Lingolingo top scored with 18 points in the losing effort. Dylan Despi was a surprise contributor for the shorthanded Red Warriors who finished with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He also had five rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
‘We just bounced back’
It wasn’t just about the individual performance, though, as UST worked their way back from their struggles — especially from the free throw line.
Tallying 24 of 39 from the charity stripe was a pretty good development for the Growling Tigers, who were among the worst free throw shooting teams in the league at the moment.
Entering the game, UST made sure to do extra reps of charity shots to loosen up a bit.
After some tough losses where they struggled from the line, Cuan said that they were keen on patching things up sooner rather than later, especially with the Final Four race as tight as it is.
“Of course [dala rin namin] 'yung lessons din na especially the Adamson game na nag-relax nung last few seconds so and 'yung UP na you know, winnable game but sobrang sakit nung talo namin,” said Cuan.
“But at the end of the game we just moved on and we just, you know, as a collective group we just bounced back and you know, magtiwala lang sa isa't isa," he added.
However, it will still be an uphill battle for UST as they try to seal their place in the semis, with Ateneo coming up in their schedule this weekend at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
They also still have the NU Bulldogs and the FEU Tamaraws left on their schedules.
With a tight race in the midfield, UST will need all the victories they can get.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.