FORMER Ateneo Blue Eagle Forthsky Padrigao made a splash in his UST debut, towing the Growling Tigers to a 74-46 victory over the Adamson University Soaring Falcons in the Pinoyliga Next Man Cup at the Enderun Colleges Gym on Sunday, Nov. 26.
Padrigao, who was acquired by UST in September, had 13 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in 25 minutes of play.
The game was one-sided from the start, with the Tigers controlling early with a 16-9 first quarter. The lead ballooned to 12 by the end of the second quarter, 36-24.
After a closely contested third quarter, the Tigers, also led by new recruits Kyle Paranada and Geremy Robinson, surged ahead with a 25-10 outburst to defeat the Falcons.
Paranada, a former UE Red Warrior, scored 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while Robinson, a former De La Salle University recruit, had 15 points.
UST’s foreign big men, Hinda Tounkara and Peter Osang, grabbed 10 boards apiece, scoring eight and two points, respectively.
The Pinoyliga Next Man Cup is the first tournament in which the Growling Tigers have participated since their forgettable Season 86 run, during which they only won two out of 14 games.
Following their horrendous season, UST head coach Pido Jarencio has pledged to revamp the Tigers and involve them in more off-season tournaments.
“Simple lang. Maraming mawawala, maraming papasok. Tapos, they have to prove themselves in training, in everything,” Jarencio said after the Tigers pounced the FEU Tamaraws in their season-ender on Nov. 18, 57-53.
“Dati hindi kami na-expose, ngayon magpapa-expose kami. May sinalihan kaming liga, PinoyLiga, tapos lahat ng liga—Visayan liga, Ilocano liga, American liga—lahat ng liga sasalihan namin kahit liga ng barangay.
Pieces from UST’s Season 86 roster are part of the Tigers’ Pinoyliga roster, including Mark Llemit, Kyle Magdangal and SJ Moore.
