UAAP: UST clinches boys basketball crown to end 24-year drought
UST Tiger Cubs celebrate winning the UAAP Season 87 boys basketball championship. They beat NUNS in 3 games. –UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–University of Santo Tomas is back on top of UAAP high school boys’ basketball after 24 years.
The Tiger Cubs secured the Season 87 championship with a hard-fought 83-77 overtime victory against National University Nazareth School on Thursday at Filoil EcoOil Centre.
It was UST’s first title since Season 64 in 2001 during the time of Jun Cortez. This championship marks also its 12th overall, making the school the second-most successful program in UAAP boys’ basketball history.
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The win also completed a golden double for UST after Junior Growling Tigresses clinched the girls’ title last week. This is the first time a school has won both high school basketball championships since girls’ basketball was introduced in Season 82.
Head coach Manu Iñigo, now part of an exclusive group of coaches with titles in both the UAAP and NCAA, praised his team’s resilience.
UST Tigers Cubs coach Manu Iñigo after winning the UAAP Season 87 boys basketball championship. They beat NUNS in 3 games. –UAAP PHOTO
“My goal as a coach is really to help as many young players as possible reach the next level,” he said. “I will bridge all that history to the kids we’ve guided—that’s what truly matters.”
The series was decided with an average winning margin of just 5.6 points per game. NUNS took Game 1, 77-70, before UST bounced back in Game 2 with an 89-85 win.
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In Game 3, UST led by as many as 17 points, but NUNS staged a furious rally in the fourth quarter. Jid Locsin’s free throw and Migs Palanca’s putback forced overtime at 74-all.
NUNS lost Season 87 Best Foreign Student-Athlete Collins Akowe to fouls late in regulation, which UST took advantage of, surging to an early 80-74 lead in overtime with key baskets from Kirk Cañete and Senegalese forward Racine Kane.
The Bullpups had chances late, but crucial missed free throws and errant three-point attempts sealed their fate.
UST Tiger Cubs forward Racine Kane wins Finals MVP. –UAAP PHOTO
“A seventeen-point lead, but there’s really no safe lead against NUNS. Our vision is to win it per quarter, so we don’t care who’s leading—as long as we fight until the end. We got lucky in overtime, and that’s how we won,” said Iñigo.
Kane powered UST with 28 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks, earning Finals MVP honors. Buenaflor struggled offensively, shooting 5-of-16, but made up for it with 15 rebounds and six assists.
Palanca led NUNS with 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Akowe had a dominant 23-point, 24-rebound performance before fouling out.
This marks NUNS’s second straight runner-up finish after losing to Adamson in another three-game finals series last season. Several key players, including Akowe, Palanca, and Locsin, will be graduating from the program.
