Streak-stoppin’ tigers
It’s not easy going up against a streaking league leader when you’re coming off a heartbreaking loss that was decided by a single shot.
For University of Santo Tomas, that wasn’t a problem.
The Tigers turned back host Far Eastern University with an emphatic 81-79 decision in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, drawing some inspiration from NBA legend Dwyane Wade, who watched from courtside at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“It felt good playing in front of him,” UST hotshot Mark Llemit told the Inquirer after finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the game. “I [felt like] I should play even better this time because [my] idol is watching [me],” he told the Inquirer. “That was a really good motivation.”
Collins Akowe also had a double-double of 14 points and 19 rebounds as the Tigers snapped a two-game losing streak. Andrew Chio scored 14 while Amiel Acido chipped in 12 in the win that evened UST’s win-loss record to 3-3.
Wade made a pit stop at the Big Dome during a break from his Philippine trip for his TADHANA: Make Your Own Way Manila Tour.
And while the Tigers were excited to pour everything out in front of the former Miami Heat standout, their assistant coach, Peter Martin, was more ecstatic over UST regaining its footing in the standings after back-to-back setbacks.
“You all know what happened in the [National University] game. It was a heartbreaker,” Martin said. “But the good thing is, the guys weren’t affected so much.”
“They just responded. Coaches can only do so much, but it was the guys who responded in the second half.”
UST spoiled Mo Konateh’s monster game of 18 points and 15 rebounds. Jorick Bautista finished with 14 points for the Tams. Kirby Mongcopa tallied 12 points and six rebounds as FEU took just its second defeat in six games.
The Tigers, perhaps still weighed down by letting one slip away against NU, started flat in the game and found themselves trailing, 28-41, at the half. But they went on a tear in the third quarter, scoring 29 points there to put themselves in contention.
UST took a 57-50 lead entering the fourth, before Janrey Pasaol tied the game at 62 with 6:54 to play.
UST went on a 7-2 run capped off by an Amiel Acido short stab for a 69-64 lead with 4:38 to go.
Wade spoke about how players should enjoy their varsity stint, sharing a message he delivered on a visit to his former school, Marquette.
“Every time I go back to Marquette, I get the chance to talk to college athletes, and I really tell them to ‘be where your feet are. Stay here and enjoy every moment. This is the purity of the game,’” said Wade, who was a consensus first-team All-American in 2003.
“I know the game has changed a little bit, and we have all the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) things. But when you get to the pro level, it’s just a whole different beast,” he added.
In the other game, University of the Philippines came back from double-digit deficits to stop Adamson, 69-67.
“At the half, the coaches talked to us and really told us that we needed to regroup and do the things we needed to do. That really woke us up,” Rey Remogat said.
The Maroons raised their record to 4-2 to catch FEU at the top while the Falcons dropped to 3-3.
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