think rainbows

I think I gave my previous blog a wrong title, because that’s exactly what happened yesterday during UST’s 2nd game in the 2nd round of eliminations in the UAAP Men’s Basketball.

UAAP enthusiasts were once again given an exciting weekend by their teams. Last Saturday, the Battle of Katipunan was alive once again with the match between the Blue Eagles and the Fighting Maroons. Failing once again to defeat their foes, UP fell to 0-8 in the team standings, while Ateneo held on to their spot, tying Adamson in second place at 6-2. Lasalle took revenge against the Bulldogs who were able to beat them in their first encounter in the first round. The Green Archers stayed in solo fourth at 5-3 while the Bulldogs fell to 3-5, in a fifth place tie with UST.

And then Sunday came.

Dubbed by some as the Battle of Morayta, FEU and UE collided in their 2 p.m. match-up at the Philsports Arena yesterday. FEU coming from their first loss against the Falcons last Thursday is aiming for a repeat of their win against the Red Warriors in the second round. But UE, coming from a big win against the Tigers last Thursday are seeking for their 3rd win against the Tamaraws. However, it was not going to be that easy for both teams. FEU led for most of the game, but UE was not far behind. In the dying minutes of the fourth quarter, UE started their run that eventually led to overtime. Raffy Reyes could have won the game for the Red Warriors and given FEU their second straight loss, if he was only able to make that basket in the last seconds of the fourth. FEU was able to outlast UE in overtime, and eventually was able to pull away with their 8th win in 9 outings, while UE dealt with their 7th loss in 9 outings.

The first time Adamson and UST met in the first round, UST had 16 three-point shots during that game. It eventually gave the impression to all the teams how deadly this three-point shooting of UST can be. It almost won them the game but obviously it wasn’t enough. Adamson just came from a big win against the then undefeated Tamaraws, while UST dealt with a loss against the Warriors. Both teams are looking for a win; Adamson to duplicate their win against the Tigers, and UST to end their three game losing streak. It was a low scoring game, ending the first half with Adamson only up by 1, 24-23. The second half was a seesaw of lead changes, neither team didn’t want the other to pull away with a big lead. Though AdU was threatening to pull away from UST, the Tigers fought back to try and steal the lead. Clark Bautista made both of his charities to tie the game at 55-all, end of regulation. Big baskets from Daquioag and Afuang gave UST the lead, but Nuyles nailed all his free throws to put the Falcons within two, 69-67 with 17.1 seconds left in the overtime. Nuyles fouled out and sent Afuang to the line, but as nerves settled in, Afuang split his charities giving UST a three-point lead, 70-67, but still with the advantage of going home with the win. A huge triple from Lozada sent both teams to a second overtime with 70-all. With the momentum in Adamson’s side, and as errors continuously haunted the Tigers, they started a 7-2 run to get ahead 77-72, before Fortuna drained back to back field goals, putting UST within 1, 77-76. Cabrera was sent to the line in the dying seconds during the second overtime. He missed his free throw but Colina was there for a follow up, sealing Adamson’s 7th win in 9 outings. UST dropped to 3-6, dealing with their fourth consecutive loss.

FEU and Adamson were able to survive their foes.

Compared to Adamson, UST is a much more inexperienced squad. However, with the way they played the game, it just shows that whether you are rookie-laden or veteran-packed, no one knows what’s going to happen until that buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the game. UST had it, if not for their careless turnovers, their errors, they would have won the game. It also shows that they still have a lot of learning to do. If Lozada wasn’t able to make that shot, it would’ve been a big win for the Tigers. If Camus didn’t cramp up, it would’ve been a different story. But game’s over. I seriously wish they have won that game, with the way they played. They deserved to win the game more than anything else. And they needed to win that game. UST was also overcrowded by Adamson, no doubt about that. We were 1/3 their size, but, thanks to the Yellow Jackets, and the dynamic cheers of the Thomasian faithful, I think we were able to at least help uplift the spirits of the Tigers. (Tell me, we did, didn’t we?) Even though we failed to win, even though we were devastated, even though our hopes were diminished, we never failed and we will never fail to give a fight. It’s better to lose trying than to never have tried at all. That’s the real Tigers I see there. That’s the Tiger spirit that I love. So, heads up Tigers! It’s already done; get some well-deserved rest for you still have five games to go. It’s not over yet.

P.S.

After that loss, I seriously wanted to cry. Ako na affected. Seeing the frustration in the players’ and Coach Pido’s faces, I wanted to share their grief. (Free hugs for everyone!) It was a total heartbreaker for everyone, not just the players and the coaching staff. Everyone thought we had it, but we didn’t. I'm sure they're very depressed. They've done everything they could, and yet, nothing. I don’t know if our efforts of cheering them on pay off, but I still do it. I don’t know if they’ll still be able to make it to the final four, or if I’ll still watch them again live. Seems like my faith in them has diminished, doesn’t it? It could have, but it’s still there, hanging on. There are still 5 games left, and the best thing that they could do right now, is play well, really well. Play their hearts out, and we will cheer our lungs and hearts out. Forget the other games, and learn from mistakes done. If they still don’t make it, then it’s not our year. But at least they have proven something. They’ve proven their critics wrong. And they better watch out for next season. (Also, will the real Jeric Teng please stand up? I don’t know what’s happening to him. Tata’s shooting is also hurting him. What’s happening??)

P.P.S

I think I would still watch their remaining games. Besides, I’ve told myself that I’m going to watch all of their games during weekends. And it’s so different to be in a live game than to just be at home and watch. There’s also this great feeling when you cheer for your school, that you feel you are becoming a part of something, a part of the team. Well then, better just finish off what I’ve started.