LOOKING to stay in the thick of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball Final Four spot hunt, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) faces University of the East (UE) at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday. The fifth-running Growling Tigers take on the already-eliminated yet dangerous Red Warriors at 2:30 p.m. While the 5-6 UST snapped its three-game skid to boost its Final Four bid with an 86-85 win over Far Eastern University (FEU) last Sunday, repeating against the cellar-dwelling 1-10, UE doesn’t look easy to pull off. The Red Warriors finally took their first win of the season last Saturday, ending a 30-game skid dating back to Season 87 with a 53-47 win against the Adamson Soaring Falcons. Facing a loose UE side that just came off its first win in two years to begin its three-game semis push, the Pido Jarencio-mentored UST knows it will face a tough challenge. “If you look at our practices, they became harder. They became more intense. They became more focused more than anything, and that’s the spirit that we want to continue,” said Growling Tigers assistant coach Peter Martin. “Even if we win the last three games, we’re not assured of a Final Four spot yet. We just want to finish well, one game at a time. We know that UE already has won, so that’s actually terrifying.” Firing 23 points last timeout, Amiel Acido looks to lead the charge anew for the Growling Tigers and sweep their elimination round series against the Paolo Hubalde-coached Red Warriors. Opposite Acido as well as Landyn Jumawan and Mark Llemit is Toper Lagat, whose offensive exploits finally translated to a UE victory last Saturday. Lagat punched 14 points, four rebounds and two steals against Adamson, while also drawing help from Mo Tañedo and JM Edoukou, who added 14 and 13 points, respectively. “I think they started to believe in what they can do,” said Hubalde. “On top of that, they’re starting to believe in the system. I told them that as long as you give everything on the court, basketball will love us back.” Tied with the Growling Tigers in fifth place with a 5-6 slate, the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles are likewise making their final push for a Final Four spot. Ateneo takes on the seventh-running, 4-7, and desperate Adamson side, which is essentially on the brink of elimination at 5 p.m. The Blue Eagles are coming off a 74-82 loss to the top seed and 9-2 UP Fighting Maroons last Saturday, while the Soaring Falcons fell victim to the Red Warriors to suffer their fourth straight defeat. NIEL VICTOR MASOY