ROOM TO BREATHE

Kyle Paranada found his stroke at a time when UST needed it the most. —PHOTOS BY UAAP MEDIA

At this point of the tournament, it was less important that University of Santo Tomas snapped out of a three-game slide.

What’s important was that the Tigers, on Sunday, put a semblance of distance between themselves and the chase pack for a Final Four spot.

“Right now, we are thinking that our last four games are all do-or-die games,” UST coach Pido Jarencio said after a 79-70 victory over Far Eastern University in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena.

For now, death will have to wait outside the door.

Nic Cabañero provided UST with crucial points in the fourth.

The Tigers won their fifth game in 11 outings to stay a game and a half up on three teams tied at 3-7 (win-loss): The Tamaraws, Ateneo and Adamson.

UST’s hold on that fourth spot—behind defending champion La Salle, University of the Philippines and University of the East—looked tenuous at best after a three-game slide put a massive dent on a strong start to the season.

True goal

“We had a three-game losing streak, so everybody had to come out and work hard,” Jarencio said.

While the slide was alarming, UST did not lose sight of what the goal is.

“In the locker room, we always say that we’re aiming for the Final Four. When out coaches say that, we always get motivated,“ said senior Nic Cabañero, who joined hands with Kyle Panarada to help the Tigers fight off a strong performance by the Tamaraws’ Veejay Pre.

The 19-year-old rookie was a thorn all night to UST’s side, finishing with a career-best 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and grabbing 14 rebounds.

“I struggled all season and I’m glad that I found my range today,” Pre said after becoming the first freshman to score 30-plus points since Jeron Teng dropped 35 for La Salle in 2012.

Cabañero finished with 16 points, eight in the last quarter while Panarada droipped all 13 points in the second half.

“Panarada had a breakout game,” Jarencio said.

“My teammates and my coaches trust me to shoot the ball and create plays,” said Panarada. “That’s what I did.”

FEU coach Sean Chambers had made this second round about making amends by exacting payback to teams that beat the Tamaraws in the first round.

The Tigers can let out a sigh of relief now: A three-game slide just came to an end.

And it seemed like the Tigers had to pony up after being unable to shake off their stubborn foes the whole game.

Each time it seemed like a UST would add to a double-digit lead, FEU would come out and move to within striking distance.

Janrey Pasaol did that one last time for the Tamaraws by pushing them within five, 69-64, with a layup at the 2:42 mark. But Paranada responded with an open triple from the corner a and then Cabañero had a split from the stripe to pad the Tigers’ cushion to nine.

UST, which jumped out of the starting blocks with a 16-6 lead, will battle skidding National U on Nov. 6, hoping to take another step closer to a Final Four berth.

Despite Jarencio bunching the last four games together as must-wins, Panarada said they will prepare for the next team on their schedule first.

“One game at a time,” Panarada said. “We can’t [prepare] for all the teams. We have to focus on the next one.”