“Prepared kami this year, yun lang ang masasabi ko,” said the UST Growling Tigers’ triumphant head coach Bong de la Cruz after his team’s 83-76 win over the UE Red Warriors.
The win marked UST’s sixth of the season in seven games, ensuring that they will finish with at least a tie on top of the UAAP Season 78 standings at the end of the first round with a 6-1 win loss record. UE, on the other hand, let another close game slip away and head coach Derrick Pumaren’s team ends the first round with a 2-5 win-loss slate, forging a tie with the UP Fighting Maroons at sixth place.
IN PHOTOS: UST escapes UE press behind Daquioag’s career-high 34 points
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The versatile Ed Daquioag continued his breakout season in style, scoring a career-best 34 points, with 21 coming in the second half alone, on 14 of 23 shooting from the field. He also had six assists and four rebounds, but he shot just five of 10 from the free throw line and turned the ball over five times.
The Growling Tigers led by as much as 16 points in the first half, but the Red Warriors banked on their trademark full court press to bridge the gap. They entered halftime down by 11, 44-33, but trailed by just four by the end of the third quarter. UE’s run would go no further in the fourth quarter, however, as UST consistently managed to keep them at bay, never surrendering the lead.
With less than a minute left to play, UST led by just two, 73-71, before Daquioag split two free throws. On the ensuing possession, he then made a tough scoop lay-up in the heart of UE’s defense to give the Growling Tigers a 76-71 edge that put the game away for good. UST wound up scoring 10 points in the final minute of the contest to book yet another win.
Kevin Ferrer and Louie Vigil provided Daquioag with ample support, scoring 14 points apiece, while Karim Abdul tallied nine points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
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Meanwhile, UE’s cause was led by Paul Varilla who scored 25 points and collected eight rebounds. Varilla spearheaded UE’s rally in the third quarter, scoring nine points over that stretch. Chris Javier finished with 12 points for the Red Warriors while Emil Palma and RR de Leon tallied eight apiece.
The Red Warriors managed to stay close through offensive rebounds and second chance points as they had 23 and 22, respectively, compared to UST’s eight and six. The Growling Tigers’ low numbers in these categories though were a byproduct of their hot shooting from the field. UST made 49 percent of its field goals compared to UE’s 37 percent shooting.
Note: Daquioag’s 34 points are the most by a Growling Tiger since Dylan Ababou, who now plays professionally in the Philippine Basketball Association, scored 30 in 2009.
IN PHOTOS: UST escapes UE press behind Daquioag’s career-high 34 points
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The scores:
UST 83: Daquioag 34, Ferrer 14, Vigil 14, Abdul 9, Sheriff 5, Lee 5, Lao 2, Bonleon 0, Subido 0, Faundo 0, Abdurasad 0, Caunan 0, Garrido 0
UE 76: Varilla 25, Javier 12, Palma 8, de Leon 8, Charcos 5, Batiller 5, Sta Ana; 4, Abanto 3, Manalang 2, Derige 2, Gagate 2, Gonzales 0, Penuela 0, Yu 0
Quarter scores: 26-12, 44-33, 60-56, 83-76
IN PHOTOS: UST escapes UE press behind Daquioag’s career-high 34 points
