UAAP: Clutch Jorick Bautista, hot-shooting Tigress Tacatac deliver

FEU’s Jorick Bautista celebrates during a win over NU in UAAP Season 87.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Jorick Bautista of the FEU Tamaraws and Tacky Tacatac of the UST Growling Tigresses displayed stellar performances in the past week of the UAAP Season 87 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, respectively.

Providing firepower for their teams that both went 2-0 for the period of October 12 to 19, Bautista and Tacatac earned nods as the Collegiate Press Corps’ (CPC) UAAP Players of the Week.

Bautista bested teammate Mo Konateh in a close vote, La Salle’s Kevin Quiambao and Mike Phillips, Ateneo’s Andrew Bongo, and UP’s Francis Lopez for the weekly recognition.

READ: UAAP: FEU’s Jorick Bautista sees silver lining amid struggles

The 5-foot-11 guard registered 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals to emerge as the scribes’ top choice in the men’s tournament.

In a nip-and-tuck battle against Adamson on October 12, Bautista lifted FEU to a 76-72 win as he pumped nine of his 21 points in the extra period.

Bautista’s clutch ways didn’t stop there as he drilled the dagger trey in the Tamaraws’ 65-58 triumph over the NU Bulldogs on October 16 when he finished with 17 points as FEU rose to 3-6, winning back-to-back games and three of its last four, good for fifth place in the standings.

“Sobrang saya po kasi sabi nga ni Royce (Alforque) yung mga hardwork namin kung paano namin ipush yung isa’t isa sa training na ginagawa namin, paunti-unti nang nagbubunga. Sobrang sarap talaga sa feeling na makuha yung panalo,” said Bautista, who joined forces Alforque in crunch time to carry the Tamaraws.

READ: UAAP: Kent Pastrana struggles but still leads UST past Ateneo

UST Tigresses’ Tacky Tacatac during a game against Ateneo in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball tournament.–UAAP PHOTO

Meanwhile, Tacatac used her outside sniping prowess to help lead UST to an 84-57 win over UP on October 13 and a 77-73 win over Ateneo on October 19.

Those two wins gave UST an 8-1 overall record, second-best in the tournament.

Tacatac, who edged out teammate Bridgette Santos, NU’s Cielo Pagdulagan, FEU’s EJ Lopez, and Adamson’s Elaine Etang for the weekly citation, shot an impressive 9-of-15 or 60 percent from beyond the arc in the aforementioned games combined where she sparked 17.5 points in just 20.5 minutes per game.

The fifth-year guard shot 5-of-7 from downtown and 7-of-13 overall against UP to finish with 23 markers with two steals to boot, and then went 4-of-8 from the three-point area to score 12 against Ateneo plus two rebounds and two assists for good measure.