UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas showcased unwavering perseverance and dedication to claim the summit of UAAP high school boys’ basketball.
For the first time in 24 years, the Tiger Cubs are golden once again, clinching the UAAP Season 87 Boys’ Basketball Tournament championship by surviving the National University Nazareth School Bullpups in a thrilling 83-77 overtime triumph, Thursday afternoon at The Arena in San Juan.
The last time UST celebrated a UAAP boys’ basketball title was in Season 64 back in 2001, led by season MVP and UST lifer Jun Cortez.
The championship completed the Tiger Cubs’ redemption arc after two consecutive fourth-place finishes in Seasons 85 and 86. It also marked their 12th overall title, solidifying their status as the second-winningest program in UAAP boys’ basketball history.
Following the Junior Growling Tigresses’ championship last Thursday, the Tiger Cubs’ triumph allowed UST to achieve the first-ever ‘golden double’ in UAAP high school basketball history since the introduction of girls’ basketball in Season 82 in 2020.
“Ang goal kotalaga as a coach is maramingbataangmatulungan to make it to the next level. Ipaglalapitkolahat ng history na yan samgabatananatulungannamin, ‘yon angimportante,” said Tiger Cubs head coach Manu Inigo, who joined an exclusive club as the fifth coach to win championships in both the NCAA and UAAP in the modern era, following TuroValenzona, Joel Banal, Koy Banal, and Aldin Ayo.
“Seventeen-point lead nga, perowalang safe na lead against NUNS talaga. Ang vision namin ay win it per quarter kaya walakamingpakialam kung sinolamang, bastahanggangdulo. Swinerte kami nung overtime kaya kami nanalo,” he added.
The series was tightly contested, with an average winning margin of just 5.6 points per game. NUNS struck first with a 77-70 victory in Game 1 before UST forced a winner-take-all Game 3 with an 89-85 win in Game 2.
Despite trailing by as many as 17 points, the Bullpups surged at the right time in the fourth quarter, forcing overtime after JidLocsin split his free throws and MigsPalanca converted a putback off Mac Alfanta’s missed layup.
However, this late-game push came at a cost for NUNS, as Season 87 Best Foreign Student-Athlete Collins Akowe—who tallied 23 points, 24 rebounds, four blocks, and three assists—fouled out with five seconds remaining in regulation.
