MARIANO. INQUIRER PHOTO
COACH Pido Jarencio yesterday came to the defense of Aljon Mariano, who has taken the flak for University of Santo Tomas’ overtime defeat to La Salle in the UAAP basketball championship duel last Saturday.
“To my beloved Thomasians, please stop cursing Aljon, don’t blame him. Ako na lang, please (Put the blame on me). Win or lose we are one,” said Jarencio on his official Twitter account.
Mariano drew the ire of fans for his crucial Game 3 miscues and the dramatic drop of his performance in the title series.
The Tigers could have won it in regulation, but they failed to capitalize on the Archers’ turnover in the last six seconds as Mariano took an ill-advised three-point attempt that led to the extra period, 65-65.
“The shot almost went in. If it did, then it would have been a different story,” said Mariano, one of the team’s top scorers who struggled in the Finals series with an average of 4.7 points on a woeful 17.9 shooting percentage.
“It was a wrong decision,” he admitted.
In the last 30 seconds of overtime, the Tigers could have cushioned their narrow lead, 69-68, but Mariano’s wild pass to Kevin Ferrer resulted in a turnover.
On the next play, Almond Vosotros struck with a jumper that clinched it for the Archers.
The fiery Jarencio, who has yet to speak to the media since the painful loss, told the Inquirer in a text message that he’s in his home province of Capiz and to just check out his Twitter account @pidojarencio1.
“Everyone’s frustrated and sad,” said UST star Jeric Teng, who virtually did everything he could to power the Tigers to the title. “We knew we were so close. Hahawakan na namin yung trophy, dumulas pa (We were about to grab the trophy but it slipped from our grip).”
The Archers’ triumph spoiled the Tigers’ bid to become the first No. 4 team to bag the title.
Climbing their way up from sixth place, the Tigers survived elimination thrice, starting with an upset of Ateneo where they not only ended the Blue Eagles’ five-year reign but also clinched the last semifinal berth.
In the Final Four, the Tigers remarkably overcame the twice-to-beat advantage of National University to become the first team in league history to oust the No. 1 squad.
“We worked so hard,” said Teng. “We could have made history.”