THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs and the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles both secured victories on Saturday (21 Sept 2024), propelling them to joint second place in the UAAP Season 87 boys’ basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

UST’s Nickson Cabañero and Jhon Canapi each scored 22 points, leading the Tiger Cubs to a thrilling 84-83 win over defending champions National University Nazareth School Bullpups.

After trailing by 17 points at the end of the third quarter, the Bullpups mounted a furious rally to cut the lead to 75-78 with five minutes left.

Clutch baskets by Canapi and Dustin Bathan pushed UST’s lead to 84-77 with just over two minutes remaining. NU fought back, with contributions from Chester Tulabot, Yujin Peña, and Zui Urea, narrowing the gap to 83-84 in the final 27 seconds. A missed layup by Tulabut in the dying moments sealed the victory for UST.

“All teams are still adjusting, including us. NU got stronger with their rotation, and we’re all learning as we go,” said UST coach Noli Mejos.

Tulabut had a standout performance with 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals for NU, which fell to a 1-3 record. Teammates David Sabareza, Josh Vitug, and Peña also contributed significantly, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the narrow defeat.

In another matchup, the Ateneo Blue Eagles held off a late surge from Adamson University to win 79-73. Ateneo built a commanding 77-56 lead before the Baby Falcons staged a 17-2 run in the final six minutes.

Sky Jazul led Ateneo with 19 points, while Zane Kallos added 18 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. Despite the victory, Ateneo coach Reggie Aromin emphasized the need for composure in closing out games. “We have to learn how to finish strong and not let our guard down in the endgame,” Aromin said.

For Adamson, Keefe Iledan scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Craig Fongton added 15 points and an impressive 20 rebounds, but their efforts fell short as the team dropped to 0-4.