UAAP: Inspired UE tests UST’s Final Four aspirations

University of the East’s Toper Lagat against Adamson University in UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball. UAAP Media.MANILA — University of Santo Tomas is not taking any chances against an inspired University of the East side as it looks to move closer to the top four of UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

After ending a 30-game losing streak, the Red Warriors seek to win back-to-back games for the first time in two years while playing spoiler to the Growling Tigers’ bid for a third consecutive Final Four appearance in the 2:30 p.m. curtain-raiser.

Ateneo and Adamson University, meanwhile, go for an all-important victory to boost their respective Final Four bids when they clash in the 5 p.m. matchup.

The Blue Eagles will face the Soaring Falcons without head coach Louie Alas, who will serve the first game of his two-game suspension. Alas was sanctioned for accumulating two infractions and displaying unsportsmanlike conduct at the end of Ateneo’s 74-82 defeat to the University of the Philippines last Saturday.

UST snapped a three-game losing streak and secured its first victory of the second round with a narrow 86-85 win over Far Eastern University last Sunday.

The Growling Tigers are tied with the Blue Eagles for fifth and sixth place in the standings at 5-6, just half a game behind the fourth-ranked team.

“The start of the second round didn’t go our way, but this is how we respond and how we battle back when faced with adversity. Are you gonna quit or are you going to respond? That’s what we had in the locker room, and that’s what we did. That’s the trend towards the second round and heading to the playoffs,” said Landyn Jumawan, who is playing his only season with UST.

“Enough is enough. We are going to start finishing games and come out on top for the win. The only way to do that is we have to start valuing and, in the end, getting quality possessions on offense, and getting stops on defense,” he added.

Led by Toper Lagat and Mo Tañedo, the Red Warriors finally saw their hard work pay off.

Playing without pressure, UE (1-10) snapped the league’s second-longest losing streak with a 53-47 victory over Adamson last Saturday.

The Red Warriors are now determined to string together back-to-back wins for the first time since closing out the first round with five consecutive victories in 2024.

“Ever since I took over, everybody’s supportive of what we can do. Once malaman namin manalo, magugutom na kami sigurado. From here, we’re going to build from this win and hopefully, magtuloy-tuloy ito, ‘di lang this season but up to next season, hopefully,” said head coach Paolo Hubalde.

After a promising start to the second round, Ateneo has dropped two consecutive games, putting its bid for a return to the Final Four after a two-year absence in jeopardy.

The Soaring Falcons, meanwhile, have failed to build on their surprise first-round showing, losing four straight games. Their disappointing defeat to UE could prove costly to Adamson’s season, as another loss against the Blue Eagles would put them on the brink of elimination.

The Final Four race in the women’s division also heats up as Adamson (7-4) and National University (6-4) clash at noon, with the coveted second spot in the standings at stake.

Ateneo (5-5) seeks to move into a share of fourth place when it takes on De La Salle (2-8) in their rivalry matchup at 7:30 p.m.

Defending champion UST, which has secured its eighth consecutive Final Four appearance after winning 10 straight games, puts its perfect record on the line against UE (1-9) at 10 a.m.

In the lone 16-and-under matchup, UE (7-5) vies for the remaining Final Four berth against already-eliminated UP Integrated School (2-9) at 8 a.m.