Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — UST Growling Tigers opened their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) campaign on a winning note thanks in large part to veterans Ed Daquioag and Kevin Ferrer.
Daquioag and Ferrer did most of the damage, combining for 52 points in a hard-fought 70-64 win over a gutsy Adamson Falcons last Saturday (September 5).
Read: Daquioag, Ferrer lift UST past Adamson
But while the rousing win was a precursor of progress for the team that struggled for the most part last season, head coach Bong dela Cruz is expecting more production from his other players.
Actually, he made special mention of the other veterans in his fold who failed to make their presence felt during the opening game.
“Ine-expect ko nga ngayon na maraming mags-score [sa mga players ko],” said Dela Cruz referring to the likes of Kent Lao and Cameroonian reinforcement Karim Abdul, who is still recovering from an injury.
“Unfortunately, si Lao medyo bad day. Tapos si Karim hindi pa 100 percent.”
And Dela Cruz will indeed need more firepower when the Tigers take on a stacked FEU Tamaraws on Wendesday (September 9) at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“Next game maga-adjust kami sa scoring. Mabigat na kalaban ang FEU,” he said.
