UST Tigers summon fight-back spirit to subdue NU Bulldogs

University of Santo Tomas (UST) made sure that its first loss in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament would not cause a spiral that would scratch off the team’s strong start.

“I just told them that we don’t give up until the last second; [whether] we’re down by one, by two, we will [find] a way to win,” coach Pido Jarencio said after the Tigers carved out a 67-64 come-from-behind win against National University (NU) on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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It’s a welcome development for the Tigers who, after two statement wins to start their campaign, suffered a lopsided 69-56 loss to Adamson.

SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 87 basketball

And Jarencio was happy with what he saw from his revamped crew in the bounce-back win that averted a repeat of last season, where the team slumped to a 2-12 (win-loss) record after a solid start.

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“This is the character of the team that I want to see, this is the team that we built which, as the years pass, will make the UST program steady,” Jarencio said. “After our loss to Adamson, for us the past is past. We looked forward and, against NU, the young ones were aggressive [and] had the will to win.

“A win is a win [whether] it’s two, three or one point. The players want to win and give UST wins and glory.”

Seniors shine

Forthsky Padrigao knocked down the go-ahead basket and then split his charities to ice the game in the stretch after the Tigers fought back from a late seven-point deficit to grab their third win in four games.

“I was creating for my teammates in the previous possessions but on that last possession, they switched defenders so I did the right think and thank you, Lord, my shot went in,” Padrigao said after finishing with eight points, five assists and three rebounds.

READ: UAAP: Manaytay, Nic Cabañero relish winning time with UST

Seniors Christian Manaytay and Nic Cabañero also came up huge, knocking down crucial baskets in the stretch while Mo Tounkara took care of things down low to finish with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

“I just showed how I play and [provided] leadership knowing the team was really down when [NU] was leading by eight; so we’re really thankful to get to talk in the dugout and agree that we needed to bounce back. I think this is a team effort,” Manaytay, who finished with 14 points on a 66.7 clip, five rebounds and three assists, said.

“We just need to win. We need to prove to ourselves that we can come back from that eight-point [deficit]. It’s a test of our character so we showed it,” he added.

Cabañero finished with 10 points and five rebounds, hitting a clutch triple that gave UST a late three-point lead.

The win, UST’s first against NU in three seasons, built the Tigers a little momentum against a tougher test against defending champion La Salle, which has been tearing the field apart on its way to a 3-0 start.

“I hope we sustain this until our next game against La Salle, who we know is a really strong team,” Jarencio said.