THE UST Growling Tigers remain winless in the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup after falling just short of a comeback against the DLSU Green Archers, 79-78, on Wednesday, May 20, at the Playtime FilOil Centre.
With the loss, the Tigers fell to an 0-2 slate, enduring back-to-back losses against the UAAP Season 88 finalists.
Facing a two-point deficit with less than 10 seconds left in the game, Mason Amos drilled a corner three that would eventually seal the victory for the Archers.
Foreign student-athlete Collins Akowe paced the España squad in the loss with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Mark Llemit and Koji Buenaflor chipped in 16 and 11 markers, respectively.
Both teams started off slow, but a reverse layup from Amiel Acido kept the Tigers in front to end the opening frame, 22-16.
DLSU slowly inched back to open the second salvo, as an inside bucket from Doy Dungo placed the match even at 33-all.
The Taft squad continued to strum the chords, with back-to-back fastbreak layups from Seven Gagate extending the Archers’ lead entering halftime, 43-36.
DLSU stayed hot in the third quarter, as consecutive layups from Luis Pablo and Guillan Quines extended their lead to 57-44.
A three from Buenaflor, followed by consecutive points from the stripe, capped off the Tigers’ 10-1 blitz, cutting their deficit down to 58-54 entering the last ten minutes.
UST eventually broke through in the midway point of the final quarter, as a floater from Donovan Sevilla put the Tigers ahead, 62-61.
Down by a single point with five ticks left on the clock, Akowe had a chance to win the game, but failed to convert his layup attempt, sealing the victory for La Salle.
Jacob Cortez led the Archers with 13 points and six assists, while Dungo added 10 points off the bench
The Tigers will look to claim their first win against the FEU Tamarraws on Saturday, June 6, at the same venue. F – Lara Sofia Alvarez
