KOBE Paras is expected to bounce back when UP faces UST in a sudden-death duel. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG @tribunephl_dvd

It doesn’t take rocket science to explain why University of the Philippines (UP) fell prey to University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the stepladder phase of Season 82 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And no less than a seasoned campaigner in Ricci Rivero perfectly summed up what happened.

“I think they outworked us,” said Rivero, the former De La Salle University star who transferred to UP with the hopes of leading it to its first title since 1986.

“What happened in the first and second rounds happened again.”

True enough, the Tigers played like a caged animal in their stepladder battle.

They opened the game with fire in their eyes, posting an early 18-7 lead to dictate the tempo, leaving the star-studded Fighting Maroons wondering what kind of disaster hit them.

The Growling Tigers stepped on the gas and padded the lead to as many as 18, 38-20, off a trey by Rhenz Abando in the final 2:15 mark of the first half.

Juan Gomez de Liaño tried to rally UP, but Jaybie Mantilla and James Spencer were slapped with back-to-back unsportsmanlike fouls, crushing whatever momentum the Fighting Maroons were trying to establish.

For good measure, Sherwin Concepcion and Mark Nonoy knocked down a pair of three-pointers to post an insurmountable 78-63 lead in the final 2:38 to wrap up the battle and formally forge a sudden-death duel tomorrow at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Rivero finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but the rest of the Fighting Maroons like Kobe Paras, Bright Akhuetie and Jun Manzo were hardly felt.

Paras, who once played for a prestigious Division I program in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association, had a forgettable performance with nine points on an ugly 4 of 13 shooting from the field while Manzo was a non-factor in a very limited time on the floor.

Sure, Akhuetie had 19 points and 18 rebounds, but he failed to stop Soulemane Chabi Yo, who finished with a better all-around game with 17 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and two assists.

“It’s all about execution both on offense and defense,” UST coach Aldin Ayo said.

“The players followed our game plan and my instructions in this game really paid off.”

It wasn’t the first time the Tigers dominated the Fighting Maroons.

In the first round, UST posted a convincing 69-85 win followed by a 78-84 victory in the second round. Although UP clinched the second spot and a twice-to-beat incentive in the post-season, UST still created a mental note that the Fighting Maroons would have a hard time beating them when the going gets tough.

And Rivero stressed that their kill-or-be killed duel will be a war.

“We have to show that we want it more,” said Rivero, who averaged only 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in the 14-game eliminations.