Amiel Acido embraced his role as the go-to guy, delivering the clutch baskets that powered the University of Santo Tomas past Far Eastern University, 86-85, to revive its Final Four hopes in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The third-year forward came through with the big shots down the stretch to snap the Growling Tigers’ three-game losing streak and secure their first victory of the second round. UST improved to 5-6, tying the Ateneo Blue Eagles for fifth and sixth places in the standings.
The Growling Tigers are now just one game behind third- and fourth-running FEU and De La Salle University, which both hold identical 6-5 records.
UST also completed an elimination-round sweep of FEU, having won their first-round encounter, 81-69, behind a strong second-half surge.
The Growling Tigers will look to build on their momentum when they face the University of the East, which snapped a two-year winless spell yesterday, on Wednesday at the Big Dome.
Meanwhile, FEU, which saw its two-game winning streak come to an end, will try to bounce back against the University of the Philippines on Saturday.
