University of Santo Tomas secured the second seed and an outright spot in the UAAP Season 88 Junior High School Basketball stepladder semifinals after a dominant 108-70 rout of Far Eastern University-Diliman, Wednesday morning at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Rowie Cabañero notched his second triple-double of the season, while the duo of Miguel Jubilado and CJ Tabbuga also delivered in a big way to power the Tiger Cubs to their 10th win in 14 games.
Cabañero’s all-around brilliance — 17 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, and four blocks — carried UST to one of its most important victories of the year.
This was the 5-foot-6 guard’s second triple-double of the season, following his 17-point, 10-rebound, and 10-assist performance in UST’s first-round win over FEU-D last October 15.
With the trio leading the way, the Tiger Cubs picked up significant momentum, winning four of their last five contests.
“Naging masaya kami sa result ng game dahil nag-respond yung mga players sa preparation na ginawa namin for how many weeks. Same pa rin yung preparation, pero this time, na-execute namin ng tama,” said UST head coach Noli Mejos.
After taking a 48-35 lead at halftime, UST broke the game open with a dominant 27-12 third-quarter stretch — fueled by Tabbuga’s 15-point eruption built on five three-pointers — to establish a commanding 75-47 advantage heading into the final frame.
That run proved to be the knockout punch, as two free throws by Cabañero followed by back-to-back triples from Tabbuga and Wayne Anggot stretched the lead to 90-54 with under five minutes remaining.
UST will now await the winner of the stepladder quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 FEU and No. 4 Adamson University.
Top-ranked National University Nazareth School, having swept the eliminations, has already secured a direct Finals berth and awaits the survivor from the three-team chase.
Tabbuga finished with 25 points built on seven triples along with 15 rebounds, while Jubilado was one assist shy of a triple-double after tallying 21 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and one block.
Jacob Datu added 20 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Gab Castro contributed seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
For FEU-D, Dwyne Enriquez led the charge with 20 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Prince Cariño followed with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and one block.
In the earlier game, Domeng Ngo fired all 26 of his points in the second half as Ateneo de Manila University sent De La Salle Zobel to a winless finish with an 84-63 victory.
Down 16–32 with 4:07 left in the second quarter, the Blue Eagles methodically clawed back, unleashing a 21–5 run that stretched into the third period — capped by an Enzo Divinagracia layup — to tie the game at 37-all.
Both teams remained deadlocked at 46-all before Ngo sparked an 11-2 run, helping Ateneo seize a 57-48 lead entering the fourth quarter — a margin the Junior Archers never recovered from.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
A floater by Enzo Purugganan pulled DLSZ within 62-54 with 7:17 remaining, but a five-point burst from Ngo, a floater by JD Juangco, and inside baskets from Francis Castro and Stef Bernarte rebuilt a 73-54 cushion with 4:22 left — allowing their 11 outgoing seniors to close the season on a high note.
“Nung halftime sa dugout, I told them na we don’t want to end this season this way, lalo’t na it’s a rivalry game. Sabi ko na they have to step up. Alam ko rin naman na our veterans would come up strong and they indeed delivered,” said Ateneo head coach Jeffrey Mangubat.
Juangco tallied 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting alongside eight assists, five rebounds, and one steal, while Spencer Saw contributed nine points on an efficient 4-of-5 clip with three rebounds and one assist.
Sky Dela Rosa also had nine points and two rebounds, while Bernarte added six points, seven rebounds, and one steal as Ateneo ended its season in sixth place with a 4-10 record.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
John Mindanao paced DLSZ — which will graduate eight players — with 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists, while Ice Purugganan supplied 14 points and three steals.
David Dizon chipped in 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal, while Jullian Pangan nearly posted a double-double with 11 points and eight rebounds to go with three blocks.
The Scores:
First Game
Ateneo (84) – Ngo 26, Juangco 17, Saw 9, Dela Rosa 9, Bernarte 6, Castro 6, Divinagracia 4, G. Yoro 2, Llavore 2, Jazul 2, Hwang 1, Fresnillo 0, Ylen 0, M. Yoro 0, Cayabyab 0.
DLSZ (63) – Mindanao 15, I. Purugganan 14, Dizon 13, Panan 11, E. Purugganan 3, Quillo 3, Asis 2, Mercado 2, Solis 0, Sy 0, Meloto 0, Dumana 0, De Lara 0, Riguera 0.
Quarterscores: 14-20, 31-35, 57-48, 84-63.
Second Game
UST (108) – Tabbuga 25, Jubilado 21, Datu 20, Cabanero 17, Castro 7, Anggot 7, Regala 6, Retaga 5, Bathan 0, Villacarlos 0, Demata 0.
FEU (70) – Enriquez 20, Carino 19, Pineda 10, Daa 7, Mojica 6, Cruz 3, Isip 3, Canete 2, Mampao 0, Chavez 0, Desiderio 0, Barlan 0, Calma 0.
Quarterscores: 24-19, 48-35, 75-47, 108-70.
