UNIVERSITY of the East leaned on clutch performances from Ethan Aguas and Lance Sabroso to eliminate De La Salle Zobel, 71-65, and keep its Final Four hopes alive in the UAAP Season 87 Boys’ Basketball Tournament, Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
With two game days remaining, the Junior Warriors snapped a three-game skid to stay in the hunt at fifth place with a 5-7 record. They are now just two games behind the defending champion Adamson Baby Falcons (7-5) for the last Final Four spot.
Adamson set up the do-or-die clash between DLSZ and UE after securing a 70-66 victory over Far Eastern University-Diliman earlier in the day. However, UE will need Adamson to drop at least one of its final two games to keep their postseason hopes alive—a feat the program has not achieved in two decades.
“Mentality namin ngayon ay ‘enough is enough.’ Pagod na kaming matalo,” UE head coach Karl Santos said. “Ginawa naming motivation ‘yon since may last chance pa kami. Kahit wala sa kamay namin yung chance na mag-Final Four, sabi namin, hahabulin namin yung last three games. We want to finish strong, whether we make it or not.”
UE held a slim 61-55 lead after an Aguas three-pointer, but DLSZ’s Bonn Daja answered with a triple of his own, and Maco Dabao followed with a layup to trim the deficit to 61-60 with 2:03 left.
Having learned from their past heartbreaks—including two buzzer-beating losses to FEU-D and UST—the Junior Warriors held their ground.
Aguas drained a long two-pointer, Sabroso banked in a triple, and added a free throw to extend UE’s lead to 67-60 with just 28 seconds remaining.
Kieffer Alas tried to rally DLSZ with a layup and a three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 67-65 with two seconds left.
However, Kristoper Lagat calmly sank four clutch free throws to seal UE’s much-needed victory.
Aguas led the Junior Warriors with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, adding eight rebounds. Lagat contributed 15 points, three rebounds, and one steal. Sabroso, a Cebuano guard, had 14 points on an efficient 6-of-9 clip, along with two rebounds and two assists.
Edry Alejandro, despite being limited to six points on 3-of-8 shooting, made an impact with 12 rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
For DLSZ, the loss marked their sixth straight season missing the Final Four, dating back to Season 80 in 2017.
After a strong 3-1 start, the Junior Archers fell to 4-8, officially bowing out of contention.
Alas delivered a near triple-double performance with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists.
Daja chipped in 17 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Graduating guard Dabao struggled with his shot, finishing with eight points on 3-of-13 shooting, while JC Espinosa contributed six points, seven rebounds, five steals, and two assists.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In the other game, UST inched closer to securing a twice-to-beat advantage after dismantling UPIS, 92-72.
With Senegalese forward Racine Kane sitting out, Gilas Youth standout Carl Manding stepped up for the Tiger Cubs, tallying 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, along with six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block.
The victory improved UST’s record to 10-2, giving them a two-game cushion over FEU-D for second place in the eight-team tournament.
“One game at a time lang kami. We’re not focusing on NU yet or the twice-to-beat advantage. Adamson muna, tsaka na namin ‘yan po-problemahin,” UST head coach Manu Inigo said. “Kung ano man mangyari, gusto namin talunin yung NU para magkaroon ng saysay yung No. 2 spot namin. Kasi kung hindi namin tatalunin, parang wala rin naging advantage buong season.”
UST set the tone early, racing to a commanding 60-27 halftime lead before extending their advantage to 82-45 entering the fourth quarter.
Although UPIS outscored them 27-10 in the final frame, the Tiger Cubs’ dominant start proved to be the difference.
Captain Koji Buenaflor recorded a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Kirk Cañete had an all-around outing with 11 points, six steals, four rebounds, and three assists. Charles Bucsit also contributed 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
For UPIS, Season 86 Rookie of the Year Ethan Egea shined with 24 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block.
Jhustin Hallare added 23 points, three steals, two rebounds, and one assist, but UPIS remained winless at 0-12.
The Scores:
Fourth Game (Boys):
UE (71) – Aguas 23, Lagat 15, Sabroso 14, Alejandro 6, Almanza 5, Timbol 4, Bual 3, Bana 1, Diaz 0, Chua 0, Lorenzo 0, Farochilen 0, Dahino 0.
DLSZ (65) – Alas 21, Daja 17, Dabao 8, Espinosa 6, Borrero 6, Arejola 2, Atienza 0, Gubat 0, Thailand 0, Favis 0.
Quarterscores: 11-13, 29-27, 48-41, 71-65.
Fifth Game (Boys):
UST (92) – Manding 17, Buenaflor 12, Canete 11, Bucsit 11, Solon 8, Bohol 8, Cinco 7, Acido 6, VIdanes 5, Bandingan 3, Ludovice 2, Javier 2.
UPIS (72) – Egea 24, Hallare 23, Melicor 11, Tubongbanua 4, Coronel 4, Poquiz 3, Pascual 3, Addatu 0, Rosete 0, Uvero 0, Hernandez 0, Cobico 0.
Quarterscores: 34-6, 60-27, 82-45, 92-72.
