THE LEARNING continues for the UST Growling Tigers.
Sharpening claws on foreign turf for the first time, the Tigers banked on their vaunted never-say-die attitude once more to register a modest bridesmaid finish in the Penang Unity Cup-Southeast Asian Basketball Invitational tournament in Malaysia.
“The experience further developed our teamwork and ability to keep pace with the referees’ call without losing our focus,” UST assistant coach Beaujing Acot told the Varsitarian. “We are slowly reaping the fruits of our hard work with the kind of performance that everyone in the team is showing right now.”
Despite missing the services of head coach Pido Jarencio, the Tigers wrapped up their 10-day, six-team campaign with a 4-2 win-loss record, highlighted by a 50.25-point winning margin.
Pitted against a slew of Penang-based, semi-professional ball clubs, the UST contingent shook off the hazards of playing on different venues and the absence of mainman Jojo Duncil to notch their first two wins in convincing fashion.
The Tigers walloped Chiap Hong, 115-58, last May 9 at the Berapit indoor court; and Youngster Club, 94-71, last May 10 at the opponents turf.
As the Tigers were headed for an elimination-round sweep, a tough Malaysian team ambushed them on the tracks, slapping the Filipinos with back-to-back losses, capped by a topsy-turvy second encounter that featured a lot of questionable calls against UST.
Although four Tigers emerged in double-figures, UST still came up short of its third straight victory as it yielded a close 92-93 decision to the Malaysian squad in its first meeting last May 11 at the Han Chiang court.
Tiger swingman Anthony Espiritu knocked in three consecutive treys in the last minute to push the Tigers on top, 92-91, with 22 seconds left in the game.
UST’s defensive blunder in the ensuing play, however, nixed Espiritu’s endgame brilliance as Malaysian center Koh Way-Tok scored an uncontested putback at the buzzer.
Bigmen Jervy Cruz and Mark Canlas early on imposed their might on the paint to give the Tigers a 50-45 halftime lead.
The third period saw UST’s Espiritu and Francis Allera in a fiery exchange of baskets with Malaysian hotshot Katyasaelak, giving the Tigers a slim 69-66 cushion at the end of the third quarter.
Cruz and Canlas led the Tigers with 18 points apiece, while Espiritu added 16.
Composure matters
Hobbled by an unimaginable 3-on-5 game scenario against the Malaysians in the dying minutes of their final showdown, the Tigers absorbed their worst defeat, 75-103, last May 12 at the Han Chiang court.
As early as the second frame, eight Tigers fouled out one after the other when the referees, led by Ong Zheng-Jan of Chinese-Taipei, began lashing at Acot’s wards with shabby foul calls and three-second violations. Only rookie Rumperry Scott, Jun Cortez and Canlas managed to finish the game.
“They (the Tigers) were repeatedly hacked and mocked inside the court but the referees paid no attention to these details,” said Acot, who incurred a technical foul in the second quarter for confronting the referees at courtside.
UST only had 16 freethrows in the entire match compared to the Malaysian’s 33 gift shots, 17 of which came in the payoff period.
Gazing at a 30-49 halftime deficit, the Tigers looked poised to seize the lead as Espiritu nailed a three-pointer that triggered a 14-3 third-quarter upsurge. But that proved to be the Tigers’ last stand as Katyasaelak, Hil Mi, and Chan Ker Thai took turns in exploiting UST’s peculiar three-man rotation on the floor.
Dylan Ababou paced the Tigers with 15 markers, while Espiritu and newcomer Kashim Mirza chalked up 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Hil Mi led Malaysia with 21 points while Katyasaelak added 17.
Far from succumbing to the ill-effects of a nightmarish two-game slump, the Tigers redeemed themselves thereafter, demolishing the Young Ones club, 106-32, last May 14 at the Young Ones sports center; and the Under-18 club, 106-52, last May 15 at the Seberang Jaya court.
June Dizon sparked the Tigers’ decisive attack against the Young Ones as he scored 18 of UST’s 41-first half points that sealed the deal for the España-based cagers. Dizon finished with 22 points, while Mirza chipped in 14 markers.
Dizon later carried his fine performance in the Tigers’ last assignment against U-18, tallying 16 points. Cortez poured in 15 markers, while Espiritu and Mirza contributed 12 points each.
