MANILA, Philippines — For the first time in five years, University of Santo Tomas (UST) reached the UAAP men’s basketball Final Four after scoring a 75-49 win over Adamson to close its Season 87 elimination round campaign at the FilOil EcoOil Center on Saturday.
The Growling Tigers locked up the third seed with a 7-7 slate as they returned to the semifinals for the first time since UAAP Season 82 in 2019.
That UST team composed of the core of MVP Soulemane Chabi Yo, CJ Cansino, Renzo Subido, and Rhenz Abando, and coach Adin Alyo even reached the Finals where it fell to Ateneo.
The Growling Tigers broke the game wide open in the third frame where they held the Soaring Falcons to just four points all the while scoring 23 of their own, building a 20-point 52-32 lead entering the final canto.
UST led by as many as 28 points, 75-47, following a Kyle Paranda triple with 44.4 seconds left.
Adamson dropped to 5-8, its Final Four chances hitting a huge snag.
The Soaring Falcons need to defeat the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the fourth seed UE Red Warriors (6-7) to force a tie at no. 4 at 6-8 and a playoff for the last semis berth.
