Metro Manila, Philippines – The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers overcame an erratic start to outmuscle the top-seeded Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 81-69, in Round 1 of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
After the National University (NU) Bulldogs foiled their comeback efforts in their last game, the Growling Tigers made sure to hold onto their massive 29-9 blitz in the third quarter to snap the two-game skid.
With the victory, the España squad improved to a three-way tie with De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University with a 3-3 record at fifth place. Meanwhile, the Tamaraws slipped to an identical 4-2 record with NU atop the standings.
Crucial double-double outputs from Mark Llemit, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Collins Akowe, who chipped in 14 points and 19 boards, propelled UST to their third win. Rookie Andrew Chio also came alive in the match with 13 points.
After a slow start by both teams, the Recto-based squad found its footing midway through the opener and sank four baskets from beyond the arc to lead by eight, 20-12.
The Tamaraws showed no sign of slowing down in the second frame as Kirby Mongcopa shimmied back-to-back layups for a 13-point cushion before halftime, 41-28.
The Growling Tigers flipped the script after a crucial four-point play from rookie guard Andrew Chio, opening the third quarter with a massive 28-5 scoring barrage to overtake FEU, 56-46.
It was a neck and neck affair in the last frame as the Tamaraws retaliated with a 12-2 run of its own to tie the match at 62-all.
However, UST completed the comeback as Amiel Acido and Akowe put the finishing touches for another 10-0 run in the dying minutes to seal the win.
FEU big man Konateh paced the loss with 18 points and 15 rebounds, while Jorick Bautista and Mongcopa combined for 26 markers.
The Growling Tigers will look to carry the momentum on their last Round 1 match against Ateneo on Saturday, Oct. 17, at their homecourt, the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
Meanwhile, FEU will look to recover and break the tie against the Bulldogs on Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
NewsWatch Plus intern Jade Bagas contributed to this report.
The scores:
UST (81) — Llemit 18, Akowe 14, Chio 14, Acido 12, Jumawan 8, Cañete 7, Buenaflor 6, Porter 2, Danting 0, Esteban 0
FEU (69) — Konateh 18, Bautista 14, Mongcopa 12, Felipe 9, Pasaol 6, Daa 4, Cabonilas 3, Nakai 3, Burgos 0, Gish 0
Quarterscores: 12-20, 28-41, 57-50, 81-69
