UAAP THRILLER

Archers tame Tigers

By Julius Manicad

07/18/2008

De La Salle University (DLSU) coach Franz Pumaren knows that the University of Santo Tomas (UST) is one of the tough contenders in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament this year.

And true enough, the Archers encountered rough sailing, but nevertheless found a way to beat the Tigers this early, probably a sort of early warning in case they both wind up in the Final Four.

“We pass our first big test,” Pumaren said, brandishing their hard-earned 85-84 victory over UST in the elimination round yesterday at the Philsports Arena. “I think this victory will help us down the stretch. I give credit to the boys because they were still composed down the stretch. Whenever we’re up against UST, winning wasn’t easy.”

Earlier, Far Eastern University made a thunderous start on the way to routing the University of the Philippines, 88-66, for its second victory in three outings.

And like what Pumaren said, beating the hungry Tigers had never been easy, especially in the crucial minutes of the hotly-disputed contest.

With the taller and heftier Tigers clinging on to a slim one-point lead, 81-80, with less than a minute left, James Mangahas nailed an acrobatic lay-up to grab the lead for DLSU, 82-81, and came up with a gem of a defense on the other end, in the process gave JV Casio a chance for two free throws that sealed the victory, 84-81, 16.4 ticks remaining.

Mangahas, the wiry forward from Philippine Christian University, had 14 of his 18 points in the second half in an excellent 69 percent from the field. Skipper JV Casio paced the Green Archers with 19 points while Bader Malabes finally rubbed the rust off his pistol, finishing 16 points, 12 of which coming from the rainbow country that gave La Salle its second victory.

Dylan Ababou, the force who kept UST afloat for most part of the game, had 23 points while his wide-bodied partner, Jervy Cruz, drilled 20 points along with 11 rebounds.

UST, which swallowed its second defeat in three starts, could have either tied the game or walked away with the victory, but rookie Jeric Fortuna fired two ill-advised attempts from beyond the arc in the dying seconds, giving Maui Villanueva the golden opportunity to ice the game from the stripe, 85-81.

Ababou, however, knocked down a desperate three-pointer on the other end as time expires for the final count, 85-84.

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