AFTER SEEING his team extend its losing streak to four, Growling Tigers’ foreign student-athlete Collins Akowe acknowledged that UST’s poor free-throw shooting was the main factor behind last Wednesday’s loss.
In a crucial clash where they lost by a single point, the Tigers shot an abysmal 28-of-52 from the stripe.
“The free throws were insane, we missed a lot,” Akowe told The Flame after the 89-88 loss against the UP Fighting Maroons on Nov. 5.
Prior to the final play, Akowe was seen lying on the floor instead of joining the team huddle during a referee timeout. With a chance to win the game with three ticks on the clock, he lost control of the ball, sealing the game.
The Nigerian center also recognized his own free-throw misfortunes, converting only 10 out of 20 from the line.
“I missed 10 out of 20. Imagine I made five more… We would’ve won the game,” Akowe added.
The 6-foot-10 big man anchored the team with 26 points and 16 rebounds in the losing effort.
The Tigers, which suffered from back-to-back one-point losses, fell to a 5-5 win-loss record because of the loss. The España squad is now in a three-way tie with Adamson and Ateneo for fourth place.
The Tigers’ next chance to break the skid will be on Sunday, Nov. 9, when it battles the FEU Tamaraws at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. UST outclassed the Morayta squad in their previous encounter, 92-80.
“We’ll bring the same intensity, bring the same heat… We (got to) win the next game,” Akowe said. F – with reports from Shayne Lee Andreas Macaraeg
