THE Adalem Construction-St. Clare pulled off a thrilling 90-87 win over the Builders Warehouse-University of Santo Tomas to claim the last ticket in the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup semifinals on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
NAASCU MVP Johnsherick Estrada led the way for the Saints with his 20 points, five rebounds, and three assists as St. Clare weathered a ferocious rally by the Growling Tigers who came back from a 70-82 deficit in the final four minutes.
“Hats off to UST. I know they will play hard and they know how to win already,” said St. Clare coach Jinino Manansala. “Kami naman, we just told our players that we have to perform this time.”
The win for the third -seed Adalem-St. Clare sets up a semis showdown against No. 2 EcoOil-La Salle in a best-of-three series that tips off on Sunday.
The win didn’t come easy as Kean Baclaan willed the Growling Tigers to within three with 15.6 seconds left and kept UST in the game after forcing the Saints to a five-second inbound violation. Baclaan desperation heave from half court couldn’t find its mark, giving Adalem-St. Clare the win.
Jolo Sumagaysay fired 14 points on 3-of-7 shooting from deep off the bench, while Joshua Fontanilla, John Rojas, and Gab Gamboa all had 12 in the quarterfinals
Cebuano wingman Nic Cabanero poured 19 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists to lead the Builders Warehouse-UST.