UST captain Louie Vigil. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Even Louie Vigil was in disbelief after University of Santo Tomas’ 74-69 defeat to University of the Philippines on Sunday.
With their backs against the wall, the Growling Tigers fell flat, bowing out of the UAAP Season 79 Final Four race and also seeing the end of their 10-year mastery of the Fighting Maroons.
“Sobrang weird ng feeling kasi in my five years in playing for UST, ngayon lang ako natalo sa UP and crucial game pa,” said the UST captain as the Fighting Maroons snapped a 19-game losing skid against the Growling Tigers. “Medyo off. Parang frustrated ako and medyo hindi makapaniwala.”
Vigil finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in the losing effort, but failed to close the game out as he got whistled for his fifth foul with 6:34 still remaining in the game.
It’s another disappointing chapter in what has turned out as a nightmarish season for the boys from España as the team struggled to get their groove under coach Boy Sablan.
Though optimism was on a high after UST’s surprise Finals appearance in Season 78, lightning did not strike twice for the unheralded Tigers this year.
“Before the season started, I’m saying that I’m vying for the championship talaga kasi we have a good, young, but hungry team. Pero yun nga, hindi masyadong nag-jell yung team at maraming on-court drama na hinarap,” Vigil said.
UST failed to put those issues behind, which was evident all season long, as shown by its 3-9 card.
The 6-foot-2 winger, though, hopes that the rest of the mainstays can draw motivation from this momentary hiccup as the Growling Tigers seek to bounce back next year.
“Gusto kong may matutunan sila sa akin coming for their season next year. Gusto ko nandoon pa rin yung frustration na hindi sila nakapasok ng Final Four ngayon. Kung nasa taas ka man o nasa baba, kung sino yung kasama mong tumrabaho, sila din yung kasama mo until the end and sana ma-realize nila yun.”
UST wraps up its Season 79 campaign against Adamson on Wednesday and Ateneo on Saturday.