[UAAP cage finals 2013] Game 1 and its thrills

 

MANILA–That inbound pass by Kevin Ferrer which Aljon Mariano missed out in getting, leading to a steal by De La Salle University in the final 26 secs.

The Teng brothers Jeron (DLSU) and Jeric performed creditably well in Game 1--only adding to the thrill that is UST versus La Salle in this year's UAAP finals. (Photo by Andrew Pomarada of FullCourtFresh.)

The Teng brothers Jeron (DLSU) and Jeric performed creditably well in Game 1–only adding to the thrill that is UST versus La Salle in this year’s UAAP finals. (Photo by Andrew Pomarada of FullCourtFresh.)

That Almond Vosotros three-point attempt that clanged the rim and helter-skelter for the loose ball followed after.

That the ball then went to Revilla who leaned forward and hoisted a layup.

And when the ball was up in the dying seconds, that block by Karim Abdul’s fingers on the Revilla layup that led to a scramble for the ball.

Then, the buzzer sounded, ending the first game for the UAAP men’s basketball title with a thrill: 73-72 for the University of Santo Tomas.

Whew!

Those sequence of events inside the Araneta Coliseum just show how a storied rivalry has produced thrilling championship matches that a previous generation jumpstarted, and that continues today.

Boy, Game 1 had all the nerve-breaking plays in front of a Big Dome crowd of over-20,000. And it is not even a 1990s-style Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) game between Ginebra San Miguel and Formula Shell, or the recent FIBA-Asia Championships semifinal between the Philippines (“Smart Gilas”) and 17-year tormentor Korea at the Mall of Asia Arena.

That fifth triple –from the parking lot, 27 feet from the basket– by Kevin Ferrer over Jeron Teng, followed right away by Teng’s three-point play off his own missed shot.

Prior to that, there’s Jeric Teng’s short stab off an isolation play, then Jason Perkins’ lefty three greeting the last two minutes.

Early in the game, that 21-4 lead by the University of Santo Tomas in the first quarter, which quickly evaporated when De La Salle University knotted the count at 25-all.

And after a 38-31 halftime lead, that  nine-point La Sallian spurt –capped by an Arnold Van Opstal basket inside the pain– that gave the Archers back the lead, 40-38.

Whether you are a UST or DLSU fan, reliving Game 1’s highlights is nothing but thrilling. Like in the 1994 finals and UST guard Bal David’s two pressure-packed freethrows, or the 1999 finals and Dino Aldeguer’s game-tying three to force overtime.

The series might reach a third game if La Salle bounces back on Saturday. Watch over your blood pressure.

 

Disclosure: Realyn Stevens, a sophomore college student, and Prof. Jeremaiah Opiniano are with the University of Santo Tomas Journalism program.

 

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About Jeremaiah Opiniano