BARGING into the win column has never been easy for the UST Growling Tigers these days.
Playing without their old reliables, the Growling Tigers drew big numbers from their second stringers in a 70-50 rout of Ateneo de Naga University to secure their first victory in the 12th Fr. Martin’s Cup Nike Summer League last May 19 at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym.
Forward Kashim Mirza stood at the forefront of the Tigers’ offense with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Daryl Basa added 10 points and three steals.
Toting a 1-3 win-loss card, the Tigers need to hurdle their last two assignments in convincing fashion to keep its hopes alive for a playoff berth. The task, however, seemed a tall order for UST, which dropped its last three outings with an average margin of 20.6 points.
The España-based cagers, went into an early scoring binge, unleashing a 17-6 run capped by a breakaway dunk and a three-point shot from Mirza that pushed UST ahead, 36-26, at the end of the first half.
Capitalizing on Ateneo’s foul woes, the Tigers also reaped eight points from the foul line to extend the lead, 63-40, in the fourth quarter even as Ateneo made a late10-2 run to narrow the gap.
Julius Vargas led Ateneo with 22 points, while Arcadio Calayag added nine markers.
The Tigers controlled the rebounds, 41-30, despite missing the services of big men Jhervy Cruz, Mel Gile, and Anthony Espiritu who served one-game suspensions after being involved in a scuffle against De La Salle University (La Salle) last May 12.
Lack of composure factored greatly in the Tigers’ 38-68 loss to the Green Archers. (see related article)
UST was never in the ball game from the opening tip, trailing 19-36, early in the second quarter.
A wayward punch from La Salle’s Brian Ilad that landed on Cruz’ right cheek triggered a bench clearing melee with 1:42 left in the quarter.
After the fight lull, UST had only four players left, while La Salle had five.
Francis Allera led the Tigers with eight points, while Lucas Tagarda added seven and four rebounds.
Against a methodical Colegio de San Juan De Letran Knights, the short-handed Tigers absorbed a 38-63 shellacking last May 2.
Sans the hotshot Espiritu, who suffered from an insect bite infection in his left ankle, the Tigers faltered miserably from the outside, making only 17 of 43 attempts from the perimeter 39 per cent as Letran built a 41-22 lead in the second quarter.
Center Jun Dizon, who was hounded by asthma, also did not suit up, leaving the 6-foot-4 Cruz, who scored 12 points, to man the paint.
Outside sniping kept the Tigers afloat for three quarters. But the same weapon silenced them during crunchtime in the end as they yielded a 63-68 decision to San Sebastian College-Cavite Bay Cats last April 26.
After holding a 61-58 edge, Tigers were not able to chalk up a point until 1:25 mark, while SSC skipper Glenn Bolocon and Jerome Cenita drilled in a pair of go-ahead triples that gave the Bay Cats the lead for good.
Bolocon finished with 31 points, six rebounds, and two assists for SSC.
Espiritu led the Tigers with 23 points, including five triples.
Tiger coach Pido Jarencio was far from being disappointed with the way his wards are fairing in the tournament.
“We are using this tournament to gauge the performance of our players aspiring for a spot in the Team A,” Jarencio told the Varsitarian. “This is a good learning experience to the team because, as early as now, we are able to look at the areas that need improvement.” Anthony Andrew G. Divinagracia
