UST stops bleeding, rips Adamson by 56
MIGUEL Austria shoots his way to a 25-point performance to power UST to a 112-56 win over Adamson in the UAAP Season 89 16U junior high school basketball tournament on Saturday.
Photograph courtesy of UAAP
University of Santo Tomas (UST) made the most of its home-court advantage, dominating Adamson University, 112-56, to boost its Final Four chances in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 16U high school basketball tournament on Saturday at the Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
The Tiger Cubs snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 4-5, bouncing back from their most recent defeat at the hands of National University-Nazareth School (NUNS) on Thursday.
The win also moved UST within a game of University of the East (5-4) in the race for the No. 4 spot.
Meanwhile, Adamson has lost five of its last six games, dropping to 2-7.
“We just need to dominate on defense because during our first encounter, their defense was very tight, so things got chaotic for us. But it all has to start on defense, which is why we got a lot of fast-break points. That is really where our motivation for the players comes from,” said UST assistant coach Andy Mejos, who called the shots after his brother Noli received two technical fouls in their previous outing against NUNS.
The Tiger Cubs dictated the tempo early on their home floor, racing to a 25-7 lead capped by Miguel Austria’s layup.
UST remained in control as Kian Abototo’s triple capped its dominant second-quarter performance, sending the Tiger Cubs into halftime with a commanding 55-27 advantage.
Adamson struggled to find answers as UST outscored the Baby Falcons, 26-17, in the third quarter to stretch its lead to 37 points, 81-44, heading into the final period.
UST continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, reaching the century mark on Nicolai Cabañero’s technical free throw to extend its lead to 50 points, 101-51, and seal the bounce-back victory.
Austria led the Tiger Cubs with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and six steals, while Nathan Bathan added 18 points, including 14 in the second half. Eldon Eusebio chipped in 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Wayne Anggot contributed 14 points.
UST also dominated in fastbreak points, 30-10, while its bench outscored Adamson’s reserves, 43-24.
“Whenever we have a game here, I tell them, ‘don’t get overly excited.’ We always tell them, ‘It’s a home-court advantage, but when it comes to the outcome of the game, we still need to play defense,’” Andy said.
Two Baby Falcons finished in double figures, with Philrine Bulan leading the way with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Kobe Edrada added 10 points.