The Growling Tigers bucked a slow start that saw La Salle score the first seven points and expanded into as much as nine points, 3-12, thanks to a two-pointer by Ralph Cu.

Sherwin Concepcion and Nic Cabañero then found their range, burying three deuces to inch within a point, 17-18.

Ben Philipps responded with a two-pointer which stopped the bleeding and put the Green Archers a point away from the title, 20-17.

Cabañero scored the clutch shot from deep to keep UST alive before Concepcion drilled the game-winning two-pointer with 2:15 left to steal the championship.

“‘Yung una namin, medyo nag-relax lang kami. Tapos ayun, sinabihan ko ‘yung mga teammates ko na hindi pa tapos ‘yung laban. Lalaban kami hanggang dulo,” Concepcion said. 

“Habang may oras laban lang. Tiwala naman sa akin teammates ko. Buti pumasok naman. Tira lang ng tira, buti na-shoot din,” he added.

Concepcion was hailed as tournament and Finals MVP, tallying with 12 points on a 6-of-12 clip from distance, to go with his six rebounds.

Cabañero added four points and four boards while Bryan Santos had three points and three rebounds in the win that saw UST’s first basketball crown since UAAP Season 69 back in 2006.

Emman Galman and Phillips paced La Salle with six points apiece, while Cu chimed in five and Spencer Lim finished with three points.

The Growling Tigers dispatched the University of the Philippines (UP), 21-12, in the semifinals, while La Salle escaped a gritty National University (NU), 19-17, in their own semis.

The Scores:

UST 21 – Concepcion 12, Cabañero 4, Santos 3, Mantua 2.

DLSU 20 – Galman 6, Phillips 6. Cu 5, Lim 3.