Tigers shock Blue Eagles; Archers lead

University of Santo Tomas confirmed Ateneo’s worst fear.

Pulling off the improbable, the Tigers climbed out of a 19-point hole to shock the Blue Eagles, 71-70, yesterday and post their first UAAP victory in five years over the four-time champions at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Aljon Mariano—the player Ateneo coach Norman Black had singled out as a threat—proved that the Blue Eagles had indeed every reason to worry  about him as the comebacking forward powered the Tigers’ second-half outburst to finish with a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds.

“Naka-tsamba rin, sa wakas (We got lucky, finally),” coach Pido Jarencio said after his Tigers forged the first men’s basketball shocker in the young season.

“Law of averages, ’di pwedeng tayo lang ang umiiyak at naghihinagpis (we can’t be the one who’s always crying). Whether it’s one point or 20 points, a win is a win,” Jarencio added.

The Tigers ended their five-year, 12-game losing streak against the Blue Eagles with Jeric Teng, Karim Abdul and Jeric Fortuna also fueling their huge comeback from 19 points down, 20-39.

The thriller overshadowed La Salle’s victory in the second game—a 67-59 decision over the University of the East that gave the Archers  the solo lead at 2-0.

Rookie Jeron Teng, the younger brother of UST’s Jeric, unloaded half of his 16 points in the final quarter to quell the Warriors’ persistent rallies.

The scores:

First Game

UST 71—Mariano 21, Teng 16, Abdul 14, Fortuna 11, Ferrer 4, Bautista 3, Lo 2, Pe 0, Daquioag 0, Afuang 0.

ATENEO 70—Ravena 19, Salva 17, Slaughter 9, Tiongson 8, Buenafe 5, Sumalinog 4, Elorde 3, Chua 3, Golla 2, Gonzaga 0, Erram 0.

Quarters: 12-27, 28-43, 58-54, 71-70

Second Game

LA SALLE 67—Teng 16, Mendoza 11, Revilla 11, T. Torres 7, Van Opstal 5, Vosotros 5, Dela Paz 4, N. Torres 3, Andrada 2, Tampus 2, Manguera 1, Paredes 0, Gotladera 0, Webb 0.

UE 59—Sumang 20, Santos 14, Javier 6, Olayon 5, Galanza 5, Villarias 3, Sumido 2, Razon 2, Mena 2, Belleze 0, Valdez 0, Hernandez 0, Flores 0, Duncil 0.

Quarters: 13-11, 29-22, 43-39, 67-59