By Alex Cerado
QUEZON CITY--Karim Abdul might have struggled in Game 2 of the UAAP Finals on Saturday night, but he came into the picture when University of Santo Tomas needed him most.
The 6-6 Cameroonian center, who committed his third foul just in the first quarter, sat out of the bench in the whole second period.
Despite playing for only 27:50, less than his usual 30-minute playing time, the UST veteran big man finished with 11 points, five of them from the free throw line in the payoff period.
He also produced six rebounds, two assists and a couple of blocks.
"It was just three fouls. It was not the end of everything. I just managed my foul and became more careful," he said to Dugout Philippines. "I wasn't discouraged."
His early foul-trouble likewise gave other big men a chance in his team to step up, particularly Jeepy Faundo and Zachy Huang. The two combined for six boards and one steal.
Down 52-54, Abdul split his bonus shots to trail within one, 53-54.
The next play showed the center's versatility.
In the 2:40 mark, Abdul dished out an assist to teammate Louie Vigil to take back the lead, 55-54.
With the Tigers holding a one-point edge, Abdul calmly sank two charities to give his team a three-point breather, 57-54.
In the last 27 seconds of the game, he was intentionally fouled by the Tams which resulted to two successive attempts from the line, 60-54.
In that moment, the Tigers never looked back.
"My mindset (in the fourth quarter) was that my free throws were what's gonna make us win. It's always gonna make a difference in the game," Abdul bared.
In Game 1, he top-scored for UST with 19 points including nine rebounds in a losing effort.
Going into the Game 3, Abdul expects a tough battle but promised to give his best game.
"We're gonna die for UST," Abdul vowed on his teammates' behalf.
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