GAMES WEDNESDAY
(UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)
2 p.m. – Ateneo vs. UE
4:30 p.m. – UP vs. Adamson
UNDERMANNED University of Santo Tomas made heads turn early in the 88th UAAP basketball tournament.
The Growling Tigers stunned reigning champion University of the Philippines 87-67 last night at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
Defending its home court against the defending titlists, UST showed its formidable force with rookie Collins Akowe shining with a double-double performance of 29 points and 17 rebounds along with a block, an assist and a steal while guard Kyle Paranada scored 18 markers.
Earlier, National University opened its campaign with a 72-57 victory over University of the East.
Last year’s Mythical Five member Nic Cabanero also had nine markers and five boards as UST won its first match against UP since November 2019 in the step-ladder semifinals.
The Tigers missed the services of veteran guard Forthsky Padrigao, who served a one-game suspension stemming from last season’s Final Four game after he was called for two unsportsmanlike fouls.
“Dahil maganda iyong opening ceremony na idinaos ng UST so gusto rin namin ng magandang performance para sa fans at sa mga naniniwala sa amin,” UST assistant coach Japs Cuan said. “Gusto lang naming mag-perform nang maayos para sa community.”
