UST’s AsiaBasket championship wasn’t built in one game. Long before lifting the trophy, the Growling Tigers had already proven they belonged in the toughest moments of the tournament.
UST completed an unbeaten run in the AsiaBasket NSAC College Basketball Campus Tour after defeating NU, 95-84, in the championship game Sunday at Blue Eagle Gym — capping off a campaign that gave the Tigers more than just preseason hardware.
It gave them momentum.More importantly, it gave them validation.
AsiaBasket featured a field loaded with some of the Philippines’ top collegiate basketball programs, making it one of the more valuable preseason measuring sticks ahead of the upcoming UAAP season. And UST passed every challenge placed in front of it.
Their toughest test may have come one game earlier. The Tigers outlasted defending UAAP champion De La Salle University, 115-107, in overtime to book their place in the finals — a result that immediately elevated the significance of their title run.
In that semifinal battle, UST leaned on a massive offensive showing led by Amiel Acido, who erupted for 33 points and six rebounds. Akowe added 24 points and nine boards, while Crisostomo nearly completed a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.
That performance wasn’t just about surviving La Salle. It showed UST could match up against championship-level competition and still find ways to win.
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That confidence carried into the final. NU started fast and built early separation behind Reinhard Jumamoy, taking a 28-21 lead after the first quarter and pushing the advantage into double digits at one point in the second.
But UST stayed connected. Mark Llemit quietly anchored the comeback effort and helped cut the deficit to 52-45 at halftime before the Tigers flipped the game in the third quarter.
UST opened the second half with a 10-2 burst, grabbed its first lead at 55-54, and seized full control later in the period after Acido buried a buzzer-beating three to push the lead to 78-68.
From there, the Tigers managed the game and closed the door.
Llemit finished with 27 points and seven rebounds to earn Finals MVP honors, while Acido added 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the title-clinching win.
For UST, this wasn’t just about winning AsiaBasket. It was about building something bigger.
Beating La Salle — the reigning UAAP champion — and then finishing off NU in the final gives the Tigers one of the stronger preseason stories heading into UAAP Season 89.
If preseason tournaments are supposed to reveal who is improving, UST may have already delivered one of the clearest messages: this group is not just preparing for the season — it looks ready to compete.
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