FEU Baby Tamaraws win UAAP basketball title. Celest R. Flores/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—It took the best effort from best player Jerie Pingoy and another clutch showing from Roger Domingo to finally nab the UAAP juniors basketball title after two and half decades.
Pingoy was just at the top of his game, but Domingo took care of the clutch shots as FEU-Diliman outlasted National University, 113-109, in a gruelling three-overtime match Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Pingoy, who also claimed the Most Valuable Player award, dropped 32 big points—more than half of it in the three extensions—11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
“Medyo gigil si Pingoy, but in the end, he was still the one who carried us,” said Oliver of the star guard.
The last time the Baby Tamaraws won the title was in the time of Johnny Abarrientos in 1987, and Oliver thinks Pingoy could be in the mold of the legendary guard.
Pingoy banked a shot with a minute and half left, but it was a triple from Domingo which stretched the lead to six points, 112-106, which came as a huge relief in such a tight game.
“We’ve always joked since last year that Domingo is our ‘secret weaopon’,” said head coach Mike Oliver. “He proved today how much of a shooter he really is.”
Domingo, who also nailed a game-clinching triple in the first Baby Tamaraws 78-77 win, added 23 points, nine rebounds and two assists.
It was fitting that the finals MVP plum was awarded to Domingo, who also played his final game with FEU, for his heroics all finals-long.
Domingo and Pingoy’s presence in the extra time was critical after exhaustion has taken its toll on the Baby Tamaraws as some have to be helped off the bench due to cramps.
“We actually had a chance to win in the first and second OT, but we had a miscommunication problem on the defense,” said Oliver.
Raphael Atangan led the Bullpups with 26 points as his squad leaned on his big buckets in regulation and the first two overtimes before fouling out of the game.
NU managed to send the game into another five minutes after Atangan found Exiquiel Biteng, who knocked down a game-tying trey at 100, from the corner.
Hubert Cani added 19 markers for the Bullpups, who was the only squad who managed to defeat the Baby Tamaraws but ultimately failed on their title defense.