It took the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers three overtimes to claw the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, 98-89, in their nest at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City on Saturday, October 11.

The Growling Tigers sealed the deal in the third overtime after Kyle Paranada’s three-point shot that extended their lead to 10, 97-89, with 1:33 minutes remaining on the shot clock. Kymani Ladi tried to answer back but missed his three-point jump shot, giving the Growling Tigers their fourth victory in five games.

“Triple overtime, throw away the numbers. It was all heart for both teams. Both teams were going down already because of fatigue and cramps, but we fought all the way. No one wanted to go out. So it boiled down to that last quarter, and between the two, we made more shots,” said Growling Tigers assistant coach Juno Sauler.

In the latter part of the game, Divine Adili was fouled out, Kymani Ladi battled cramps, and Jared Bahay sat on the bench for a long time due to a shoulder injury.

Nic Cabañero led the Growling Tigers with a double-double performance of 22 points and 11 rebounds. Forth Padrigao and Collins Akowe finished the game with 20 points apiece, with Akowe tallying 19 rebounds. Gelo Crisostomo also had a double-double of 18 points and 17 boards.

For the Blue Eagles, Bahay led the team with 17 points and six assists, while Ladi contributed 14 points and nine rebounds. Dom Escobar tallied 13 points and 20 rebounds, while Shawn Tuano added 12 points. Adili also had a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds.

Earlier that day, the Adamson University Soaring Falcons fended off the University of the East Red Warriors, 77-62, to snap their three-game losing streak.

At the half, the Soaring Falcons had a commanding 20-point lead, 45-25, before the Red Warriors exploded in the third quarter, momentarily getting a one-point lead, 58-57. Thankfully, the Soaring Falcons came back to their usual selves in the fourth quarter, limiting the Red Warriors to just four points.

“I can only remember the third quarter. It just showed how explosive UE could be, something we kept on emphasizing sa players namin,” said Soaring Falcons head coach Nash Racela. “Against them, sabi ko play consistently, especially sa defense. I think we didn’t do our part in the third, that’s why they scored 33.”

“We need to do a better job. Mabuti na lang ‘yung fourth quarter, we were able to recover and match up better.”

Ray Torred led the Soaring Falcons with 16 points, while John Medina added 15 points and six rebounds. Cedrick Manzano, Emmanuel Anabo, and Austin Ronzone combined for 23 points.

For the Red Warriors, John Abate finished the game with 17 points and seven rebounds, while DJ Robles contributed 14 points. Foreign student athlete Precious Momowei was limited to just seven points but tallied 18 rebounds.

22, 11

University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers co-captain Nic Cabañero led the team with 22 points and 11 rebounds, leading his team to victory on UAAP’s return to the Blue Eagle Gym after 20 years.

Despite playing in the Eagles’ nest, Cabañero made sure they got to play their best basketball in front of thousands of fans.

He said, “Ayun nga may advantage sila dahil home court nila, pero hindi namin inisip ‘yun, e. Home court namin or home court nila, ang iniisip lang talaga namin is kayang-kaya namin manalo this game. Hindi naman mangyayari ‘yun kundi dahil sa tiwala ng every coaches and players.”

Although the game was played in the Blue Eagles’ home court, thousands of Growling Tigers fans still went to Quezon City to support their team. “Umiyak kaming lahat dahil sa sobrang pagod kanina. Ang sarap sa feeling na first time namin lahat mag triple overtime sa UAAP. Alam mo ‘yung feeling na nakakapagod pero sobrang saya namin,” he expressed.

“Thank you sa UST community even ang layo dito sa Ateneo, pumunta from España to Katipunan. Thank you. Thank you.”

18, 17

One of the keys to the Growling Tigers’ victory was Gelo Crisostomo, who played his best game with 18 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, and one block to finally avenge their loss to the Blue Eagles on their home court at the Quadricentennial Pavilion last season.

In Season 87, the Blue Eagles won in their second-round matchup, one of their four wins during that season.

“Napakaganda po nitong laro na ‘to. Lumabas lahat ng laro namin and then bawi na rin po namin ito last season na natalo kami ng Ateneo sa home court naman namin,” Crisostomo said. 

“Siyempre masaya ako na nakakatulong ako sa team. Last few games namin, ang pangit nga ng mga laro ko pero nandito pa rin ‘yung teammates ko na tumutulong sa akin na hayaan ko lang ‘yung mga laro ko na pangit, basta isipin ko lang ‘yung game plan,” he added.

20, 4, 2

After two years, now-Growling Tiger Forth Padrigao returned to the place he once called home – the Blue Eagle Gym inside the campus of the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. Padrigao was a long-time Atenean until he transferred schools in 2023.

Going back to his roots, Padrigao said it was nothing personal, as he was one of the leading figures in the Growling Tigers’ win against the Blue Eagles, finishing the game with 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists.

“For me, nothing personal, e. I’ve had good memories with Ateneo and with my teammates here. The game kanina, as much as I wanted to, I treated it as just another ballgame for me kasi if you think about those extra pa, baka ma-distract lang tayo,” he said after the game.

“Nothing personal, just happy to be back here and happy na nakuha natin ‘yung panalo.”

Aside from the nostalgia he felt, Padrigao was also pleased with his teammates’ performance, as the players stood up for the team, especially in overtime.

“I’m really happy with my teammates today. They showed heart. They showed grit. KP (Kyle Paranada), Mark (Llemit) nung dulo, sila Collins (Akowe), even (Ivanne) Calum, ang ganda ng pinakita nila especially nung nagkukulang na kami sa players nung overtime. The guys who needed to step up, they stepped up,” he praised.

Playing in the first-ever triple-overtime in the final four era of the UAAP, Padrigao said that the game was a test – physically and mentally – as he expressed gratitude to the people who helped the team behind the scenes.

“Inaalagaan nila talaga kami. I think it’s a testament to our strength and conditioning workout pero yeah, sabi namin sa dulo, alam namin pagod na ‘yung katawan naming lahat so it was all about being mental sa dulo kaya I’m really proud of what the boys showed today,” he said.

Despite their victory in a historic game, he remained focused on the road ahead as the team was trying to end their championship drought. He finished, “Not too high, not too low. We’ll just stay grounded. We have FEU on Wednesday and Adamson on Saturday. We just gotta focus on our next games.”

0

Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles sophomore captain Jared Bahay did not play in the third overtime of the team’s loss against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers. This season, Ateneo has played in matches that have gotten to overtime – their opening game win against Far Eastern University, and today.

In those overtime matches, Bahay had an 86% three-point field goal efficiency in overtime, far from his 27% efficiency in regulation. In their loss against UST, Bahay scored 14 of his 17 points in the first two overtimes.

“Honestly, hindi na ako bumalik ng third overtime because of my shoulder. There’s an issue sa shoulder ko and I didn’t force it. I was looking at the bigger picture – to finish the season healthy and I don’t want to risk injuring myself for nothing,” he told reporters after their game.

“Gusto ko pumasok talaga. Masakit nga na natalo kami, pero iniisip ko talaga ‘yung big picture – to finish the season healthy and happy and to be able to get the ultimate goal: the championship.

15, 6, 2

A member of the Adamson University Baby Falcons that captured the championship in the boys’ division in Season 86, John Medina played his best game of the season so far with 15 points, six rebounds, and two assists for their second win.

After the match, Medina credited his teammates and coaches, who provided him with trust and confidence throughout his entire stay with the team. He said, “Siguro ‘yung mga teammates ko na lang kasi simula nung pag-angat ko pa lang, ini-encourage nila ako, binibigyan nila ako ng confidence.”

“Kahit ‘yung past few games ko medyo slow, mino-motivate lang ako – pagdating sa offense, mashu-shoot ko din ‘yan at depensa lang, darating ‘yung tira. ‘Yung teammates ko talaga. Expectation talaga ng mga coaches sa akin ay to play defense tapos sa offense, spot-up shooter, counter, ganun.”

Medina specifically mentioned his seniors, Matty Erolon and Monty Montebon, for guiding him at the collegiate level, where the game is more physical. “Mas ahead sila sa akin, mas may experience sila sa akin. Gusto ko talaga i-absorb lahat ng tinuturo nila sa akin,” he said.

He also expressed his happiness that his teammates in the boys’ division, Jireh Tumaneng and Allen Perez, decided to stay with the team. He added, “Sobrang saya ko kasi lahat nag-stay at iba kasi ‘yung teammate sa high school tapos pagdating mo sa seniors, kasama mo pa rin sila. Sobrang saya sa pakiramdam.”

Despite his breakout performance, Medina learned a valuable lesson: to be consistent, both offensively and defensively. He ended, “Dapat mas maging consistent kami kasi ‘yung basketball, puro runs ‘yan, e. Throughout the game dapat consistent po talaga defense and offense.”