Marc Burgos and Cabs Cabonilas joined forces in the clutch, willing Far Eastern University past defending champion University of Santo Tomas in thrilling fashion, 82-78, to open its title bid in the UAAP Season 88 Boys’ Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
Burgos drained the go-ahead layup with 35.2 seconds remaining before Cabonilas showed nerves of steel at the charity stripe. He nailed three of his four free throw attempts to seal the hard-fought triumph and hand new head coach Mike Reyes — a two-time UAAP juniors champion with Ateneo in seasons 57 (1994) and 59 (1996) — a winning debut.
“Satisfied ako dahil we pulled it through even if UST got the lead nung dulo. Masaya ako na the players were able to get back the lead. Those baskets we got were their decisions within the offense. Sila nag-decide niyan kasi we work on our decision making. Satisfied ako,” Reyes said.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
In the other game, Nigerian center Jude Eriobu made an immediate impact, tallying 28 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, and one steal as Ateneo de Manila University outlasted University of the East, 91-84, to give new head coach Bacon Austria a triumphant start.
Trailing 57-62 after three quarters, the Tiger Cubs opened the payoff period with a 13-4 run — highlighted by three consecutive triples from Dustin Bathan, skipper Kirk Canete, and Jetlee Melano — to grab a slim 70-66 lead with 4:47 remaining.
FEU slowly clawed its way back as Cabonilas delivered key inside baskets. Meanwhile, JB Cagurungan knocked down two crucial triples to take a 77-76 advantage with 1:06 left on the clock.
Melano responded with a contested layup to reclaim a 78-77 lead with 54.9 seconds remaining. However, Burgos and Cabonilas — key holdovers from the Baby Tamaraws’ Season 87 squad — delivered down the stretch to spoil the Tiger Cubs’ title defense opener.
Cabonilas finished with a dominant all-around performance, posting 19 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and one steal. Khean Esperanza added 13 points, three assists, two steals, and one rebound.
Jheremy Godoy chipped in 10 points, three rebounds, and one block, while Burgos contributed seven points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
The Junior Warriors seized a 54-50 lead early in the third quarter, but the Blue Eagles responded behind timely baskets from Eriobu, Jay M Leal, Noah Banal, and Ziv Espinas. The trio erupted for an 18-5 run to build a 68-59 advantage heading into the fourth period.
Consecutive triples from Renzo Gatmaitan and Espinas, coupled with a putback by Eriobu, stretched Ateneo’s lead to 78-61 with 6:09 remaining. However, a layup by Drei Lorenzo and back-to-back three-pointers from Jolo Pascual and Jamal Diaz trimmed the deficit to 78-72 with 3:45 left.
UE stayed within striking distance after a layup by Ethan Aguas, but costly turnovers by Pascual and Sizco Roquid proved decisive. That allowed Ateneo to capitalize with consecutive layups by Banal and Leal to restore an 89-78 lead with 39.1 seconds remaining.
Pascual attempted to make amends by drilling back-to-back triples to cut the lead to five, but Leal calmly sank the dagger free throws to secure the hard-fought victory.
“I think the team played well. I think that this is the product of the effort that the players put in over the break. Sila yung nagdala ng game. These guys did not have their vacations para makapag-practice kami,” Austria said.
“Yung game was a testament nung sacrifices nila nung break. It’s all the players today, they followed the game plan.”
Noah, grandson of former UAAP champion coach Joel Banal, also impressed in his debut with 14 points, three steals, three rebounds, and one block, finishing with a game-high plus-20 rating. Unri Madrangca likewise delivered 14 points, three rebounds, and one steal.
Leal ended the day with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal, while Zane Kallos and Gatmaitan chipped in eight points apiece.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Despite the loss, Nigerian center Ola Ajani shone in his UAAP debut with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and one steal. Canete tallied 17 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
Co-captain Wacky Ludovice was held to 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting but still contributed five assists, two steals, and one rebound. Melano finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and one assist.
Pascual led the Junior Warriors with 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Roquid followed closely with 17 points, six assists, five steals, and four rebounds.
Diaz added 14 points but committed four turnovers, while Lorenzo and Aguas scored eight points each in the losing effort.
The Scores:
First Game:
Ateneo (91) – Eriobu 28, Banal 14, Madrangca 14, Leal 10, Kallos 8, Gatmaitan 8, Espinas 7, Lacsamana 2, Molina 0, Jazul 0, Aquino 0.
UE (84) – Pascual 18, Roquid 17, Diaz 14, Aguas 8, Lorenzo 8, Bual 5, Edoukou 4, Timbol 3, Orca 3, Delos Reyes 2, Abellar 2, Braga 0, Oraa 0.
Quarterscores: 24-27, 48-41, 68-59, 91-84
Second Game:
FEU-D (82) – Cabonilas 19, Esperanza 13, Godoy 10, Burgos 7, Dagcutan 7, Gaye 6, Cagurungan 6, Cariño 4, Alagaban 3, Sohm 3, Hall 2, Santos 2, Rañeses 0, Dulin 0.
UST (78) – Ajani 21, Cañete 17, Ludovice 12, Melano 10, Esteban 6, Lapastora 6, Bathan 5, Sta. Maria 1, Acido 0, Candare 0, Vidanes 0, Canapi 0, Bandingan 0, Pulongbarit 0, Cruz 0.
Quarterscores: 17-16, 44-36, 62-57, 82-78
