University of Santo Tomas leaned on a fourth-quarter surge to eliminate Ateneo de Manila University, 76-68, ending the Blue Eagles’ Cinderella run in the Final Four of the 2026 Pinoyliga Big Dance on Monday at the Blue Eagle Gym.
The top-seeded Growling Tigers will face 22nd-ranked Centro Escolar University in the finals.
The game also marked Ateneo’s first preseason matchup against a UAAP team since its June 6 victory over Adamson University.
UST opened a 10-point lead early, 33-23, but Ateneo answered with an 8-0 run before halftime to cut the deficit to one, 43-42.
The lead changed hands throughout the second half before the Growling Tigers broke the game open with an 11-1 run, taking a 71-61 advantage with 4:03 remaining.
Ateneo mounted a last-ditch 5-0 spurt, but it proved too little, too late.
UST put the game away at the free-throw line through Mark Llemit before Koji Buenaflor punctuated the victory with a dunk for the final 76-68 score.
The Growling Tigers also held Travis Roberts, who had been averaging 14 points per game, to single-digit scoring.
Sophomore Collins Akowe led all scorers with 21 points and six rebounds for UST, while Llemit added 19 points. Both Akowe and Llemit shot 7-of-13 from the field, with each also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out two assists.
Tensions flared inside the arena during the second quarter when a fan was escorted out of the stands and asked to move seats following an exchange with UST head coach Pido Jarencio with 7:57 left in the half.
Rookie Kieffer Alas paced Ateneo with 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Andrew Bongo and Shawn Tuano, who had just returned from their stint with the Gilas Pilipinas U23 3×3 squad, contributed 10 and nine points, respectively.
The two teams last met at the Loyola Heights venue in the first round of UAAP Season 88, when the Growling Tigers escaped with a 98-89 triple-overtime victory over the Blue Eagles.
The Scores:
UST 76 – Akowe 21, Llemit 19, Canete 8, Buenaflor 7, Jumawan 5, Danting 4, Acido 3, Bucsit 3, Porter 2, Alao 2, Esteban 2, Abellar 0.
Ateneo 68 – Alas 13, Bongo 10, Tunao 9, Kapihe 8, Roberts 6, Leal 6, Bahay 5, Baruwa 5, Espinosa 4, Rogers 2.
Quarterscores: 24-18, 43-42, 58-58, 76-68.
