THE UST men’s basketball teams jumpstarted their 2007 Nike Summer League campaign in contrasting fashion.
While the Tigers-B continued to falter in senior’s division, their junior counterparts launched their opening-day bid on a high note as they subdued Philippine College of Criminology (PCCr) Enforcers, 73-65, last April 22 at the Far Eastern University gym.
The Tigers-B, who took a lopsided 59-72 beating against the National University (NU) Bulldogs last April 23, engaged Ateneo de Zamboanga University Asul Aguilas in a nailbiter before yielding a close 110-115 overtime loss last April 26.
“The players tried to dictate the tempo early in the game,” assistant coach Beaujing Acot told the Varsitarian. “But some questionable calls took away the players’ focus which allowed Ateneo to take the contest.”
Orphaned by Acot’s ejection out of the playing court for undue disagreement, the Tigers-B fell by as many as 18 points in the third frame.
UST, however, rode on the mighty shoulders of Carmelo Afuang and Daryll Basa in a 24-10 fourth-quarter blast to knot the count at 98-all and force overtime.
But the Tigers failed to sustain their run in the extra period as Ateneo’s Mikaelo Mendoza, who chalked up a game-high 39 markers, steered the Zamboanga-based dr ibblers to a marginal 104-110 lead that spelled UST’s doom.
Afuang carried the scoring load for the hard-luck Tigers-B with 27 points, while Basa added 17.
Against the Bulldogs, who played sans main man Edwin Asoro, UST saw a 22-24 second-quarter deficit swell to an imposing 27-50 bulge in the third, no thanks to the Tigers-B’s so-so full court defense that led to a pivotal 12-0 NU attack heading into the pay-off period.
“Our defense did not fit against our opponents.” Acot said. “We had a lot of mistakes in covering NU’s perimeter shooters.”
Basa drilled 16 points for UST, which fell to 0-2, while point guard Hector Badua and Afuang chipped in 11 and nine markers, respectively. Mark Berry paced NU with 17 points.
Fine debut
Armed with a pesky full court trapping defense, the Tiger Cubs foiled the repeated comebacks of a scrappy PCCr squad in time to notch their first win in as many games.
The Tiger Cubs appeared headed for a beat after posting the biggest lead of the game at 62-40 midway in the fourth before PCCr desperately closed in at 70-63 via a 6-0 run with 1:22 left in the game.
But that proved to be the Enforcers’ last stand as the Tiger cubs unleashed a menacing defense that snuffed whatever resistance was left of the fumbling PCCr crew.
“Despite missing a handful of free throws, we were still able to hold on to the lead because of our defense,” Tiger cubs’ Allan Ascue said.
Earlier, the Tiger cubs broke away from a tight 24-28 contest in the second period to build a 37-30 third-quarter advantage that set UST’s offensive mood ablaze heading into the final canto.
Gorbi Aquino led the Tiger cubs with 15 points, four steals and three assists, while Jonathan Sarsonas racked up 14 points, four assists and two steals. Heinz Jassen D. Brobo
