University of Santo Tomas mounted a third-quarter comeback to douse the blazing Far Eastern University, 81-69, in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Growling Tigers’ return to the win column snapped their two-game losing streak and restored their record to .500 at 3-3. The victory also ended the Tamaraws’ four-game winning streak.
After an impressive 2-1 start, UST suffered a 28-point blowout at the hands of Adamson before falling to NU on a game-winning triple by Reinhard Jumamoy.
“It’s been a hell week for us, especially with those two losses, but the good thing is these guys were not affected that much. We just did what we had to do in the second half. You see the disparity in the first half and the second half,” said UST deputy coach Peter Martin.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Head coach Pido Jarencio was absent from the sidelines as he hurriedly traveled to the Ninoy Aquino Stadium to catch the Terrafirma-San Miguel game in the PBA, where he serves as the Dyip’s team governor.
There was, however, a different notable presence at courtside — NBA legend Dwyane Wade, who watched the game and even joined the commentary team for a brief period.
Trailing 41-28 at halftime, the Growling Tigers caught fire in the third quarter while tightening the screws defensively. UST outscored FEU, 29-9, to seize a 57-50 lead heading into the payoff period.
The Tamaraws, however, refused to go down without a fight. They rallied in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 69-all on a surprise three-pointer by Mo Konateh with 2:36 remaining.
That proved to be FEU’s final basket of the game, as Amiel Acido, Collins Akowe, and Mark Llemit combined for 12 unanswered points to seal the Tigers’ victory.
Llemit led the way with an all-around performance of 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block. He also posted a plus-22 rating in 29 minutes and 24 seconds of action.
After going scoreless on five attempts in the first half, Akowe bounced back to finish with 14 points, 19 rebounds, and four assists. Rookie Andrew Chio also broke out with 14 points.
UST will look to close out the first round on a high note when it hosts Ateneo de Manila University on Saturday at the Quadricentennial Pavilion.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Konateh paced FEU with 18 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and one steal, but his efforts were not enough to prevent the Tamaraws from absorbing their second loss of the season.
FEU dropped to 4-2 but remains atop the standings, tied with the idle National University.
Jorick Bautista added 14 points and three assists but struggled from the field, shooting 4-of-14. Kirby Mongcopa was the Tamaraws’ other double-digit scorer with 12 points on 6-of-20 shooting.
FEU will look to bounce back when it faces NU on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym.
The Scores:
UST 81 — Llemit 18, Akowe 14, Chio 14, Acido 12, Jumawan 8, Cañete 7, Buenaflor 6, Porter 2, Danting 0, Esteban 0.
FEU 69 — Konateh 18, Bautista 14, Mongcopa 12, Felipe 9, Pasaol 6, Daa 4, Cabonillas 3, Nakai 3, Gish 0, Burgos 0.
Quarterscores: 12-20, 28-41, 57-50, 81-69.
