THE NEW-look UST Growling Tigers claimed a 75-68 victory over the NU Bulldogs to open their Asiabasket NSAC College Basketball Campus Tour campaign on Sunday, April 19, at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym.
Without UAAP Elite Team member Collins Akowe, the Tigers leaned on an effective small-ball setup.
Amiel Acido led the charge with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Meanwhile, Gelo Crisostomo contributed 11 markers and 7 boards of his own.
“They [team recruits] have committed and practiced early in the offseason, and so far, things have been running smoothly,” Acido told The Flame.
“We are just currently focusing on our system, studying a lot of things, and implementing new ways to improve,” he added.
During the offseason, UST took in the likes of Tiger Cubs standouts Kirk Cañete and Charles Esteban, top Cebuano guard Henry Suico, as well as one-and-done guard Donovan Sevilla.
UST started off hot, converting three triples within four minutes, led by Gelo Crisostomo, Carl Manding and Koji Buenaflor, building an early 13-5 margin.
NU, however, retaliated with a 15-6 run to go ahead in the first quarter, capped off by Vince Reyes’ back-to-back triples, 20-19.
The Bulldogs remained in control in the second salvo, but UST foreign student-athlete Peter Osang tried to keep his team close, 30-28.
Later in the quarter, Acido sank a couple of deep triples, sparking a 12-0 blitz that ultimately led to another Crisostomo three in the closing seconds for a 48-34 cushion by halftime.
The España squad continued its barrage in the third period, with Mark Llemit picking up his rhythm to balloon the lead to 56-38.
NU struck back with a 12-5 run to trim the lead, before UST regained momentum to take a 69-53 advantage.
The Jhocson crew attempted to stage a late comeback in the closing salvo, limiting UST to six points the entire quarter, but the Tigers’ defense held on to secure the win.
Buenaflor and Osang scored 10 points each, grabbing five and six rebounds, respectively. Meanwhile, Justine Garcia paced the Bulldogs with 14 markers, closely followed by Reinhard Jumamoy’s nine points and seven boards.
UST is looking to avenge its second-place finish in the 2025 AsiaBasket tournament, falling short of gold against the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the finals.
The Tigers look to continue their winning ways against the Perpetual Altas on Saturday, April 25, at the UP Diliman Varsity Training Center. F – with reports from Michael Luke Ezekiel Bechaida
