THE UST Growling Tigers bounced back in style on their home floor, clawing past the UE Red Warriors, 111-99, in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
After a bad outing last game, Tiger foreign student-athlete Collins Akowe returned to form with his third double-double built on 18 points and 17 boards.
With the win, UST improved to a 3-1 record, while UE remained winless at 0-4.
UE came out firing in the opening quarter, as it seized a 21-13 lead behind the hot hands of John Abate and Drayton Caoile.
But Mark Llemit sparked UST’s rally with back-to-back treys, while Amiel Acid and Collins Akowe added timely baskets to trim their deficit, 31-29.
UST playmaker Forthsky Padrigao nailed a three-pointer early in the second frame to hand the Tigers their first lead of the game, 39-36.
Padrigao then buried a buzzer-beating triple to give his team a 59-55 edge at the end of the half.
Riding their momentum, the Tigers exploded in the third quarter, as Akowe converted an and-1, then Padrigao and Ice Danting drilled back-to-back triples to fuel a blistering 15-0 run.
Nic Cabañero and Gelo Crisostomo capped the surge with inside conversions as the Tigers stormed ahead, 74-58.
UE tried to claw back in the final frame as Precious Momowei powered his way inside, but Akowe’s inside basket kept UST in front, 90-73.
Team captain Cabañero capped the match with a layup to seal the victory.
He led UST’s offense with 22 points and eight assists, while Padrigao chipped in 18 points, six assists and six steals.
Abate fired a game-high 27 points along with seven assists for UE, while Caoile added 23 and Precious Momowei finished with 16.
The Tigers will gun for back-to-back wins when they face the undefeated Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym. F – with reports from Joshua Louis Sumanghid
