POWERED by the 41-point explosion of swingman Prince Martin, the UST Tiger Cubs snapped a two-game skid by clobbering De La Salle-Zobel, 85-63, in their UAAP juniors basketball game at the The Arena in San Juan last Sept. 9.
Martin, who also knocked in 40 markers with nine treys during an offseason tournament last summer, shot 11 out of 16 from the field while nailing four three-point shots in 26 minutes of play.
“I want to show everybody that this is how I really play,” said Martin, who also grabbed 10 boards. “I just want to become more aggressive in this game because I had two straight bad outings.”
With the win, the Cubs improved to a 6-3 win-loss card ahead of the Junior Archers, who are on fourth place with 5-5. UST earlier dropped it first two games in the second round against FEU (8-0) and NU (7-1).
“Losing this game would have dimmed our chances of making it to the Final Four. It’s a good thing that the players responded nicely,” coach Allan Ascue said.
The Cubs seized a huge lead at the onset as Martin beat the first quarter buzzer with a mid-range jumper from the left elbow to put UST ahead, 22-9.
Martin, who already had 24 markers in the first two quarters, scored the last seven points for the Cubs to put his team ahead, 47-28, at halftime.
The Cubs outrebounded the Junior Archers, 50-35, and scored 19 second-chance points.
Martin remained hot in the third quarter, showcasing strong drives and a string of pull-up jumpers punctuated by a booming trey at the 2:09 mark to give UST a 66-39 lead.
The Junior Archers tried to fight back behind guard Hubert Cani’s six unanswered points. But Cubs reserve Charles Lavarias made four buckets in the ensuing play to give UST a comfortable 71-48 lead entering the final period.
The Junior Archers had little answer for the Cubs as they were only able to produce 15 points in the fourth.
Nicko Bahia and Alvin Ungria chipped in eight and seven points, respectively, for UST. Henri Subido starred for La Salle with 33 markers.
“He gave everything he had out there, he really came to play,” said Ascue on Martin’s performance.
