Subido's 3 powers UST
No Part 2 of the Battle of Katipunan.
Presented a rare opportunity lived for by any player who has seen NBA star Steph Curry bury way-out three-pointers, University of Santo Tomas guard Renzo Subido stepped into the moment and drained a ‘prayer’ five feet clear of the rainbow arc to help lift the Tigers past the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons 68-65 last night and into the UAAP Season 82 Finals against defending champion Ateneo starting Saturday.
Subido’s trey with 23.6 seconds remaining erased a two-point UP lead and gave UST a 66-65 edge, bringing back to life yellow-clad UST supporters who had fallen silent after the Maroons fought back to gain the upper hand late in the game at the Mall of Asia Arena.
UP called time and Kobe Paras got the ball at deep left corner but had it slip away. An airborne Javi Gomez de Liano found himself in possession of the broken play and banked in a five-footer but missed, the ball going out bounds off him.
Most Valuable Player Soulemane Chabi Yo then hit two charities to make it a three-point lead. UP got 4.9 seconds to send the stepladder knockout match into overtime but James Spencer knocked a 3-point attempt strong off the glass, triggering celebration from half of the 18,000-plus crowd.
Trailing for most of the knockout, UP first tasted the lead in the last 5:13 after a Juan Gomez de Liaño jumper gave the Maroons a 59-57 lead. UST, who led by as many as 12 in the first half, wasn’t to be denied though.
In what came down as the thriller’s most special moment, Subido took the ball at the left wing, far from the arc and with Bright Akhuetie on him but sagging back just inside 2-point territory. The UST playmaker took a few dribbles, glanced down as if to measure the space he needed and launched the biggest shot of his collegiate career.
UST's win denied a rematch of last season's finals between Ateneo and UP.