At A Glance
- Rising from a four-game slump, University of Santo Tomas regained its confidence as it makes one final push for a semifinal spot in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament.
Nic Cabañero continues to power UST's semis chase. (UAAP Media)
Rising from a four-game slump, University of Santo Tomas regained its confidence as it makes one final push for a semifinal spot in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.
The Growling Tigers finally ended their string of misfortunes with a 109-97 win over University of the East to improve to six wins against five losses.
The victory pumped some life to their Final Four bid, with NU (10-2), UP (8-3) and De La Salle (6-4) holding the top 3 positions as of the moment.
Trailing behind the Tigers are Ateneo (5-5), Adamson (5-6), FEU (4-7), and UE (0-12).
For skipper Nic Cabañero, it was their faith that kept them together as a unit after losing hold of a stellar 5-1 start that jeopardized their semis run this year.
“We have to be ready from first man to 16th man, isa din ‘yong ego, it’s not about me, Akowe, Padrigao, we have respect for one another. That’s how our coaches molded us, believing in us,” said Cabañero.
“Mentally tough talaga ‘yong nangyari samin na four-game losing streak. But we still believe that we can [recover] sa lahat ng chances na we just have to make sure that we will grab it,” he added.
UST’s next game is a crucial one as it faces Ateneo with the victor solidifying its position in the semis race. The two hopefuls square off this Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We should prepare well, kailangan hindi namin i-underestimate ‘yong Ateneo dahil nanalo kami sa kanila no’ng first round,” said Cabañero. “Kailangan ready lang kami, i-laro namin gaya no’ng nilaro namin [against UE.]”