The UST Growling Tigers settled for silver in the AsiaBasket NSAC World Invitational after falling short against the Fighting Eagles Nagoya, 92-91, in the championship game on Sunday, Aug. 16, at the PhilSports Arena.
UST led by as many as 11 points in the opening quarter, but Nagoya answered with a 23-11 second-quarter surge to cut the deficit before the Tigers narrowly fell short in a thrilling finish.
Former U.S. NCAA Division I player Landyn Jumawan delivered 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 7-of-9 shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, while tournament MVP Collins Akowe also posted 20 points and 12 rebounds. Amiel Acido added 18 points off the bench in UST’s valiant effort.
UST opened the game with a 22-14 run, fueled by three Acido triples, to take a 31-23 lead.
A 7-0 run led by Francis Lopez in the second quarter put Nagoya ahead, 41-36. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the period, with UST trailing by four, 46-42, at halftime.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the third before Nagoya pulled ahead by six, 70-64, heading into the final quarter.
Jumawan’s pull-up 3-pointer with 2 minutes left gave UST its first lead in the second half, 85-84. Nagoya responded with an 8-3 run to move ahead, 92-88, before Jumawan drained another triple to cut the deficit, but UST could not complete the comeback.
Tres Tinkle led Nagoya with 24 points, while Lopez added 22.
Akowe was named tournament MVP and earned a spot on the Mythical Five.
Despite the loss, UST head coach Peter Martin praised his team’s fighting spirit.
“‘Yong fighting spirit na lumaban, kahit na lamang na nang malaki ang kalaban, sana madala natin sa UAAP,” Martin told the Varsitarian.
The Tigers will next compete in the Pinoyliga Cup – The Big Dance tournament before the UAAP Season 88 opens next month. Charles Martin A. Manalang
