THE UST Growling Tigers unveiled prized recruit Collins Akowe but fell to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights, 88-87, in the 2025 Asiabasket International Invitational opener on Sunday, July 20, at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan.
UAAP Season 87 boys’ basketball MVP Akowe delivered a monster debut for the Tigers, finishing with a 17-point, 21-rebound double-double in 34 minutes of action.
“It’s an incredible feeling to be in the atmosphere of such a competitive team and I feel excited to be in the Growling Tigers uniform for the very first time,” the Nigerian big man said postgame.
After trailing as much as 13 points in the opening minutes, UST roared back in the second salvo with a 17-8 blitz to close the gap by halftime, 52-49.
Midway through the third frame, Tiger guard Kyle Paranada snatched the lead with a four-point play, which was then followed by a triple from Amiel Acido, 62-56.
Letran’s pesky defense, however, kept the Tigers at bay as the Knights took a 74-70 advantage going to the final quarter.
UST leaned on Akowe’s dominance in the paint to restore an 85-81 lead with 2:53 left. However, Letran answered with a 7-2 run to seize an 88-87 edge with 30 ticks remaining.
With the game still up for grabs, Paranada pulled up for a potential game-winner from deep but his shot bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
Mark Llemit led the Tigers’ offense with 19 points and six rebounds, while Paranada and Acido tallied 12 markers each.
Lorge Gammad spearheaded the charge for the Knights with 16 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field.
The Asiabasket Invitational features five college squads and three international teams split into two groups.
UST captain Nic Cabañero will also be missing the whole contest due to a knee injury.
The España-based squad will next face the San Beda University Red Lions on July 21 in the same venue. F
