University of Santo Tomas clinched another championship ahead of the UAAP Season 87 High School Boys’ Basketball Tournament.
The Tiger Cubs secured the Asiabasket Youth League title with an 88-78 victory over the San Beda Red Cubs on Saturday at Faith Academy in Cainta, Rizal.
The match was an intense battle, featuring 11 lead changes and seven deadlocks.
San Beda held a narrow 58-57 lead midway through the third quarter before UST shifted momentum with a decisive run.
Spearheaded by Koji Buenaflor, the Tiger Cubs unleashed a 12-0 surge to establish an 80-68 advantage early in the final period.
While San Beda managed to trim the deficit to just four points, UST’s depth and balanced attack ultimately sealed the win for head coach Manu Inigo’s squad.
Buenaflor delivered an all-around performance, tallying 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Carl Manding contributed 15 points and eight boards, while Charles Bucsit and Liam Acido chipped in 13 and 10 points, respectively.
For San Beda, Randaile Medroso led the charge with 16 points, while Andrei Ugaddan recorded an impressive stat line of 14 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Laurence Batungbakal and MJ Vailoces rounded out San Beda’s double-digit scorers with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
This victory marked UST’s second triumph over San Beda in the five-day tournament, having edged them out in the opener with a thrilling 100-99 win.
UST’s championship run also included a dominant 85-67 win over FEU-Diliman in the quarterfinals and a convincing 76-60 triumph against Ateneo in the semifinals.
Other teams that participated in the tournament were Perpetual, Mapúa, San Sebastian, and Faith Academy.
As the UAAP tournament kicks off on January 18, UST carries significant momentum and high expectations for the season ahead.
