By: Joaquin Cortez
University of Santo Tomas turned the Quadricentennial Pavilion into a fortress on Saturday, with all three of its basketball teams scoring victories to complete a perfect day in the UAAP Season 89 basketball tournaments.
The Tiger Cubs kicked off the Thomasian tripleheader with a 112-56 rout of Adamson University in the High School Boys’ 16-and-Under Basketball Tournament before the Growling Tigresses extended their unbeaten run to five games with a 90-67 victory over Ateneo de Manila University in the collegiate women’s division.
The Growling Tigers then put the finishing touch on UST’s home-court sweep, pulling away from the Blue Eagles for an 80-68 win in the men’s tournament.
For Growling Tigers assistant coach Japs Cuan, the opportunity to play in front of the Thomasian community made the victory even more meaningful, with the support from the stands serving as an added source of motivation.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
“Sobrang special to play our school on our home court. Sobrang thankful kami for the support kasi pag-practice pa lang namin, nakikita na namin sila nakapila, so nakaka-inspire at ayaw naming sayangin ‘yung effort nila na pumunta here,” Cuan said.
Earlier in the day, the Tiger Cubs set the tone for the home sweep with their 56-point demolition of Adamson, snapping a three-game losing streak to improve to 4-5 in the 16-and-under tournament.
Miguel Austria paced UST with 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and six steals, while Nathan Bathan chipped in 18 points, including 14 in the second half. Wayne Anggot added 14 points.
Despite the lopsided victory, Tiger Cubs assistant coach Andy Mejos stressed that playing at home did not guarantee a win, emphasizing that the team still had to earn its results on the court.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
“Totally, always namin sinasabi, home-court advantage, pero pagdating sa outcome ng game, kailangan pa rin dumepensa. Hindi ibig sabihin na nandito kami sa QPAV, mananalo kami. Thank you kay God na nagkaroon kami ng chance na manalo dito,” Mejos said.
Dustin Bathan said the team drew confidence from its familiarity with the court, while Anggot viewed the home setting as added motivation to represent the school well.
“It feels good, and sabi nga nila, ‘huwag matakot kasi this is our home court.’ So dapat may kumpiyansa because we practice here,” Dustin Bathan said.
“Hindi po kami kampante since home court po namin. Ginawa namin ‘to as motivation kasi home court pa rin po namin. Kailangan po naming i-protect ‘yung school namin na nire-represent namin,” Anggot added.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
The Growling Tigresses kept the winning momentum going in the women’s division, preserving their perfect start behind Karylle Sierba’s career-high 35 points in their 90-67 triumph over Ateneo.
Sierba also collected four rebounds and six steals without committing a turnover. Her scoring outburst set a new single-game high in the Season 89 women’s tournament, surpassing Kacey Dela Rosa’s 31-point performance against National University on Oct. 3.
With UST holding a 66-61 lead, the Tigresses broke the game open in the fourth quarter with a decisive 20-3 run. Sierba’s layup during the surge took her past Dela Rosa’s season-high mark and helped stretch the lead to 80-64.
Despite delivering a career-best performance, Sierba said her focus remained on helping the team rather than achieving a personal milestone.
“I’m happy lang kasi ‘di ko talaga in-expect ‘to and naglalaro lang ako at walang iniisip kundi makatulong sa team. So, super happy lang,” Sierba said.
Growling Tigresses head coach Haydee Ong acknowledged the added energy of playing at home but stressed that the team continued to respect its opponents.
“We respect our opponents kahit anong team pa yan. Added bonus, of course, na we’re playing here, in our den, dito sa QPAV. So, siguro medyo inspired at may energy rin yung mga bata kasi we were playing here, dito sa UST,” Ong said.
The Growling Tigers completed the sweep in the men’s division, using a decisive third-quarter surge to pull away from Ateneo and secure an 80-68 victory.
After a closely contested first half, Amiel Acido, Kirk Cañete, and Mark Llemit fueled a 22-0 run that gave UST a commanding 49-32 advantage. The Growling Tigers maintained control from there to seal the win.
The victory allowed UST to close the first round with a 4-3 record, capping a perfect day for the university’s three basketball teams at the Quadricentennial Pavilion.
