UNIVERSITY of the East (UE) notched its second straight win against its first-round nemesis University of Santo Tomas (UST), 71-61, in Season 79 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Red Warriors’ defense forced the Growling Tigers to commit 32 turnovers that they translated to 26 points to come away with a convincing win and avenge their 87-88 loss in the first round.
Mark Olayon was the only UE player to hit double figures with 14 points, but five other players scored six or more for the Red Warriors, who led from the get go and tied their victims at 2-6 win-loss mark.
“We know how important this game for us. That win against Adamson, we picked it up from there. Hopefully, this will be a start for us,” said UE Head Coach Derrick Pumaren, who wards started the tournament with six straight losses.
“I told the boys to come out and jump the gun on them dahil galing sila [UST] sa UST. Their morale is down and we took advantage of that,” Pumaren added.
The Red Warriors erected an early 23-13 lead after the first period and padded their margin to 41-27 at halftime. UE was never threatened since then although the Growling Tigers cut their big lead to 59-69, but Olayon’s floater in the ensuing play sealed the victory for the Red Warriors. “I think we’re starting to show our true worth. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but I hope we can continue to play with confidence to be able to play with our true potential,” Pumaren said.
Louie Vigil led all scorers with 21 points, but he had 10 of the team’s 32 errors in the game. William Afoakwah and Jeepy Faundo each had 10 markers for Head Coach Boy Sablan. Afoakwah also had 21 rebounds. Renz Subido, who erupted for 26 points in their first meeting, was limited to just three markers in 13 minutes on one-of-four shooting from the field. In the second game, University of the Philippines (UP) shocked Ateneo de Manila, 56-52, to snap its 14-game losing streak to the Blue Eagles dating back 2009.
Gelo Vito drilled a huge three-pointer at the left corner to give the Fighting Maroons a 54-50 lead then Jett Manuel sank two clutch free throws with 7.2 ticks left as UP joined UE and UST in the team standings with 2-6 slate. “Credit to the players. They really showed great determination especially in the end game,” said Fighting Maroons Head Coach Bo Perasol, who drew a team-high 15 points from Manuel. John Wong and Ikeh Chibueze each had 10 markers for Ateneo, which dropped to 4-4.
Image credits: Alysa Salen