Teamwork key as Tigers bounce back
The bashing that University of Santo Tomas received after the school’s season-opening loss has been hushed—for now.
The Tigers and their outspoken coach, Pido Jarencio, made sure of that.
“We were bashed a lot on social media. They were calling us names,” Jarencio said after UST’s 92-85 stunner against defending champion La Salle in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday. “People were saying that we won’t win as long as [I am the coach].”
“Well, we won.”
Amiel Acido finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Collins Akowe chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Tigers rebounded from a loss to University of the Philippines in their first game.
While Jarencio was profuse in his praise of the dynamic duo, he credited the win to teamwork and expressed faith that there is much to be squeezed out of his squad.
“Today, it’s Collins and Amiel. Hopefully in the future games, other players will step up,” Jarencio said.
The win put UST in the middle of the standings with an even 1-1 card.
“We asked for advice [from our coaches] because we needed to improve [after the loss to UP] and that’s what happened in this game,” Akowe said.
The Tigers will next face the Adamson Falcons, who came out strong and shocked host Far Eastern U in their first game.
