Mariano’s heroics bail out Tigers from the jaws of defeat

He did it against Ateneo and La Salle. And he did it once more against National University (NU).

Down 17 points in the first half, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers relied on workhorse Aljon Mariano to repulse season hosts NU Bulldogs in overtime, 58-57, in men’s hoops action today at the Araneta Coliseum.

Mariano scored 18 of his career-high 22 points in the second half, including the go-ahead basket in overtime, to mount a furious UST rally that cemented his reputation as the league’s best clutch player.

Down 54-57 with one-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game, point guard Jeric Fortuna stole NU’s crucial possession en route to an easy layup by Jeric Teng to put the Tigers behind by one.

As the Tigers regained possession with seconds left in the ballgame, Mariano, posting up one-on-one against Kyle Neypes, pivoted and scored on a bank shot over the outstretched arms of the NU power forward to clinch the Tigers’ seventh win of the season.

It was again a lethargic start for the Tigers after losing very badly against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws last Thursday. UST in fact afforded only 14 points in the entire first half after scoring a lowly three points in the third quarter due to the choking inside defense of NU centers Emmanuel Mbe and Henry Betayene.

Mariano nonetheless went amok in the second half, scoring eight apiece in the third and fourth quarters against the Bulldogs superior front line, as the Bulldogs went dry on the field, with star player Bobby Ray Parks going 1 out of 14 in the field in the second half.

Backing up Mariano’s heroics, UST point guard Jeric Fortuna sank a buzzer-beating trey at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime at 51-51.

Sitting idly at a tie with FEU for second and third place, the Tigers will next face solo fourth placer De La Salle Green Archers on Wednesday while the Bulldogs will face the hot shooting Tamaraws next Sunday.

Romeo sets career-high as Tams bullies Falcons

In the first game, the FEU Tamaraws overcame another feisty Adamson Falcon run to dispose them at the cellar with a 76-68 come-from-behind win.

The Tamaraws relied on the heroics of big man Arvie Bringas, who scored all of his seven-points in a torrid 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to deflate a 64-56 Falcon lead in the quarter.

However, it was Terrence Romeo’s feverish shooting who kept the Tamaraws in the game despite being bullied by the Falcons in offense in the first three quarters. The third-year guard shot six triples and scored 22 points in the first half, and finished the game with a career-high 27 points and seven triples.

The Falcons, missing starting center Rodney Brondial due to a suspension incurred from a flagrant foul against NU last Thursday, were led by graduating power forward Eric Camson, who likewise set a career-high 24 points on top of 13 boards.