THE UST Growling Tigers broke their two-game losing streak as they bounced back against the top-seeded FEU Tamaraws, 81-69, in the UAAP season 89 men’s basketball elimination round on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After a Tamaraws-led first half, the Tigers immensely pulled a 22-7 scoring surge in the third period to regain the momentum after a double-digit blowout.
Collins Akowe and Mark Llemit led the charge with a double-double of their own, with Akowe tallying 14 points and 19 rebounds and Llemit procuring 18 markers and 11 boards.
The Tigers started the game with their first lead built on Akowe’s free throws and Kirk Cañete’s corner three, 5-3, but their offensive slump was capitalized by the Tamaraws, which was replenished by Kirby Mongcopa’s mid-range jumper, 5-12.
UST’s offense went rocky before the first quarter ended but Andrew Chio’s three trimmed the deficit to a single digit, 12-20.
Llemit’s three straight paint baskets gave the Tigers a chance to close the gap in the second quarter, 19-23, but the Tamaraws uncorked a 13-2 blitz to widen their lead, topped-off by Mohamed Konateh’s mid-range jumper, 21-36.
Despite Amiel Acido and Kris Porter’s four straight free throw makes, Mongcopa’s layup maintained the Morayta-based squad in command before the half, 28-41.
After the half, the España-based squad fired up in all cylinders as they switched the pace, building on three pointers with Chio’s four-point play trimming their deficit by two-points, 44-46.
Back-to-back treys from Koji Buenaflor and Acido, followed by Akowe’s paint basket, immediately fueled a UST lead, with Buenaflor’s successful free throw concluding a 29-point Tigers surge in the third period, 57-50.
Despite UST making efforts to keep their lead, FEU managed to tie the match twice in the fourth period, in which the España-based squad answered with a 7-1 blitz capped off by Akowe’s buzzer-beating dunk to seal the win.
Rookie Chio and Acido combined 26 points in the comeback win for the Tigers.
Meanwhile, Konateh and Jorick Bautista paced the Tamaraws with 32 combined markers in the loss.
The Tigers will wrap-up their first round run at home by facing the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion. F
