THE UST Growling Tigers squandered a late lead as defending champion UP Fighting Maroons escaped with an 82-78 victory in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup opener on Sunday, May 17, at the Playtime Filoil Centre.
Taking the helm of former King Tiger Nic Cabañero, veteran Mark Llemit led all scorers with 22 points and five rebounds. Meanwhile, foreign student-athlete Collins Akowe delivered a dominant double-double, posting 19 markers and 16 boards.
“We just ran out of steam,” Llemit told The Flame.
“We were good with the sets the coaches gave us, but ultimately, it’s up to us to properly execute it,” he added.
The España-based squad hit the ground running in the opening salvo, going on a 13-2 run, with Akowe and Gelo Crisostomo dominating the frontcourt to go up 18-7.
Miguel Palanca and James Payosing answered back for UP, the former converting an and-one, cutting the lead to seven at quarter’s end, 22-15.
Llemit drilled back-to-back triples to open the second frame, regaining an 11-point cushion for UST, 28-17, before Rey Remogat took control and scored eight unanswered points, instantly closing the gap by a point, 28-27.
UST retaliated with a 17-8 blitz from Charles Bucsit and Jun Melecio’s three-pointers to form a 45-35 advantage, until Jacob Bayla and Payosing traded baskets, trimming the margin down to five by halftime, 47-42.
The Diliman-based crew began the second half on fire, sinking three consecutive triples off of Palanca and Miguel Yniguez, to take their first lead of the game, 49-53.
UST replied with Llemit and Crisostomo’s jumpers, leveling the game at 60-all heading into the fourth.
UP launched a 12-3 run from back-to-back treys by Chicco Briones to open the final salvo, establishing a 72-65 lead, their biggest of the game.
Llemit tried to bring the squad back into the ballgame, scoring seven points down the stretch, however, clutch baskets by Remogat and Gani Stevens in the final minute halted their comeback efforts, 82-78.
Crisostomo and guard Donovan Sevilla contributed eight points each for UST.
Meanwhile, Pre led UP to victory with 17 markers and four rebounds, alongside Remogat’s 12 points and six assists effort.
The Tigers will look to notch their first win against another heavyweight DLSU Green Archers on Wednesday, May 20, at the same venue. F
