Shooting marvel keeps UST alive

THE BIGGEST accolade for Kevin Ferrer came when Ateneo star Kiefer Ravena said he would like to share his second straight Most Valuable Player award with the University of Santo Tomas hotshot during the awarding ceremony for the top performers of the UAAP’s Season 78 basketball tournament on Saturday.

Ferrer, who lost the MVP trophy by just a few statistical points, later acknowledged the compliment by joining Ravena at center stage with the other UAAP standouts. The two have been friends since their high school days when Ferrer, as a Tiger Cub, also nipped the then-Eaglet Ravena for the MVP plum. They joined hands to serve the national cause with the team that retained its SEA Games cage crown earlier this year.

The 6-foot-4 Ferrer then went on to justify the great respect he commands from Ravena and the rest of his peers by keeping the Tigers on the prowl in their best-of-three title series with the Far Eastern U Tamaraws.

With the Tamaraws seemingly on their way to a sweep of the championship showdown, Ferrer put on an astounding show of shooting in the third quarter that eventually boosted the Tigers to a 62-56 victory before a full house at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ferrer unloaded 24 points in the third period and finished with a career-best 29 as the Tigers avenged their 75-64 loss in Game 1 and forged a winner-take-all duel tomorrow at Mall of Asia Arena.

I can’t recall a 24-point, third-quarter explosion from any game in all leagues this year so far. To make it doubly impressive, he delivered six triples, five of them coming in succession, as the Tigers forged ahead at 47-37 from 21-30. In one sequence, he fired a shot that hit nothing but net, and then from the same spot connected again, this time off the glass.

Ferrer actually opened the third quarter with two free throws that cut FEU’s lead to 23-30. He later explained that he somehow regained his confidence after making both shots since he scored only four in the first half.

FEU somehow recovered from Ferrer’s bombardment to regain the lead at 54-50 halfway through the final period as Ferrer was rested. But collapse was not in UST’s vocabulary this time.

It was Ferrer himself who sparked the final and crushing UST comeback when he returned to action with an assist to Ed Daquioag. Then center Karim Abdul, defanged by three fouls in the first quarter, finally asserted himself with five free throws and an assist as the Tigers sealed the deal with 10-2 closing run.

Coach Bong dela Cruz said the Tigers played with less pressure this time but conveniently omitted mentioning the clever shuffling of his boys this time. In the opener, Ferrer and Abdul hardly rested along with their support crew.

FEU now faces the specter of again blowing a 1-0 lead in the title series following its debacle at the hands of National University last year. The Tamaraws remain slightly favored to end their quest for a 20th championship with their taller and deeper bench, although the Tigers and Ferrer, seeking a 19th crown overall, have already beaten them three times in four meetings so far.