UST rips Adamson, nails first UAAP Final Four bonus

Kevin Ferrer. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

University of Santo Tomas nailed the first twice-to-beat bonus after ripping Adamson, 78-63, in the UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tournament Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Growling Tigers zoomed to a 12-0 start and never looked back to wrap up their campaign in the elimination round at 11-3.

Kevin Ferrer scored 12 of his game-high 25 points in the first two minutes and 35 seconds of the third quarter where the Tigers put the game away for good.

“I told the team that this the game where we will get our confidence heading into the Final Four,” said the graduating forward, who is among the top candidates for the MVP award.

Ferrer couldn’t miss in the third quarter — scoring nine straight points — a triple, a four-point play and two free throws that gave the Tigers a 49-33 lead with 7:25 left.

Ferrer went 9-of-14 from the field overall and also collected 10 rebounds and a couple of steals. Louie Vigil added 15 points, four rebounds and four assists for UST, which took a 34-point lead in the fourth quarter before emptying its bench to let its second and third stringers get some playing time.

Papi Sarr posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds but shot just 5-of-13 from the field for Adamson, which ended its season with a 3-11 slate after winning two of its last four games.

Far Eastern University, which holds a 10-2 mark, needs to sweep its last two games to lock up the top seed. A loss by the Tamaraws would give the No. 1 spot to the Tigers, who swept them in the eliminations.

The Falcons were held to only 26% shooting from the field. They also lost in double digits despite hitting 20 more free throws than the Tigers.