UST cruises past UPIS, advances to final four
By Rob Andrew Dongiapon
Riding high on Mark Llemit’s stellar play, the UST Tiger Cubs (7–6) warded off the UPIS Junior Maroons (1–12), 75–63, to officially secure the fourth seed in the UAAP Season 85 high school boys basketball, Saturday afternoon, at Paco Arena in Manila
Llemit starred once more with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, and three steals to lift the Tiger Cubs to their seventh win of the tournament and a playoff berth.
The win not only assured the Tiger Cubs a final four seat but it also snapped a five-year playoff drought for the boys from España, who last played in the postseason round in 2018.
Despite shooting at a collective 9-of-36 from the three-point range, the Tiger Cubs heavily capitalized on the Junior Maroons’ miscues, converting 29 points off turnovers while holding UPIS to zero in that department. To put it in context, UPIS turned the ball over 25 times compared to UST’s 20.
The Tiger Cubs, who recorded 16 steals in the matchup, also showcased their transition offense, scoring 20 fastbreak points while the Junior Maroons only had two.
JP Pangilinan also sizzled for 17 points, on five threes albeit on 17 attempts, alongside 10 rebounds, while James Jumao-as chipped in 11 markers for UST.
Barely having any rest throughout the game, Jonas Napalang and Kobe Demisana did the heavy lifting for UPIS, recording 18 points each in 39 minutes of playing time.
UST will cap their regular season campaign against the top-seeded Adamson Junior Falcons on Wednesday in what might be a preview of the final four matchup.
The Scores:
UST (75) — Llemit 27, Pangilinan 17, Jumao-As 11, Esteban 8, Bucsit 7, Zanoria 3, Ayon 2, Buenaflor 0, Manding 0, Tesocan, 0, Suico 0, Chan 0, Velasquez 0
UPIS (63) — Napalang 18, Demisana 18, Florentino 14, Melicor 6, Raymundo 5, Gomez-De Liano 2, Villaverde 0, Rosete 0, Hernandez 0, Cordero 0
Quarter Scores: 20–12, 37–26, 60–47, 75–63
