Tigers cast eye on title, history

UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas goes for a shot at history today, hardly feeling any pressure in its sweep bid of La Salle in the UAAP men’s basketball championship.

“Again, we have nothing to lose,” said coach Pido Jarencio as his Growling Tigers vie to become the first No. 4 team to climb all the way to the top. “This team is upset conscious. We came from the bottom, so we’ll just continue to work hard.”

Gunning for a repeat of their hot shooting, the Tigers aim for a 2-0 sweep of the Green Archers in Game 2 of the best-of-three series at 3:30 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The league’s top individual performers, led by MVP Terrence Romeo of Far Eastern University, will also be honored at 2 p.m.

The Tigers, bannered by Jeric Teng, Kevin Ferrer and Karim Abdul, moved within a win of the crown  after slipping past the Archers, 73-72, in a Game 1 thriller last Wednesday.

Ferrer shot 15 of his 20 points from three-point range to help snap the Archers’ nine-game winning streak.

“It’s odd to say this, but I hope the game [today] will be my last,” Teng, who is in his  final year, said after notching 17 points, seven boards and three assists in Game 1.

His younger brother and La Salle top gunner Jeron Teng, however, wouldn’t hear any of it.

“I know he really wants to win this thing,” said Jeron. “It’s his last year and he’s determined to win a championship. But we’re both competitive. I’ll also do anything to win this championship, even if we’re brothers.”

The Archers will try to forge a do-or-die title match after coming so close to winning despite falling back by as many as 17 points in Game 1.

“We just have to shoot better in all departments,” said coach Juno Sauler, who hopes to maximize their formidable frontline led by Arnold Van Opstal, Norbert Torres and Jason Perkins.  “We’ll keep milking the post. If they collapse, then we just have to tell our guards to be open and ready to shoot.”