Push Admin

UST wins first FilOil match under Aldin Ayo; CSB upsets FEU

Article (news)

Rick Olivares

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/sports/05/15/ayo-2018-2018-051518.jpg"/><figcaption>Aldin Ayo. Photo provided by author</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Aldin Ayo didn’t mince his words.“This is a big win for us,” said the multi-titled basketball coach who is only five months into his job with the University of Santo Tomas (UST).His young and shorthanded Growling Tigers defeated Jose Rizal University (JRU), 98-88, for their first win in three tries in the FilOil Flying V Preseason Cup.Ayo, who won titles with Colegio de San Juan deLetran in the NCAA and De La Salle University in the UAAP, both in his first year at the helm, is aware of the challenges.“Dumating kami, ‘Ground Zero’ kami,” added Ayo who bared that many of the players were leaving and there was difficulty recruiting. “This is only our second win in all competitions and tune-up matches.”The only other win was a tune-up against University of Perpetual Help where Marvin Lee hit a three-pointer with no time left. Other than that, the Growling Tigers, ended up in the loss column.However, against JRU, his veterans assured that this one was going to be listed as win.In the third period, UST looked to blow out JRU as they posted a 22-point lead, 65-43, following a barrage of four triples that opened up what was a close game. With JRU head coach Vergel Menese slumped on his seat, the Heavy Bombers charged right back into the game behind MJ Dela Virgen, Darius Estrella, Karl Bordon, and Ry Dela Rosa. The furious rally saw UST’s lead shrink to as low as 86-83 after a Ramos free throw with 4:08 to play.The Growling Tigers showed the fight in them when they unleashed a 12-5 finishing kick with the killer threes scored by transferee Ken Zamora who hit two – a four-point play off Ramos, and one with 43 seconds left to give UST a 96-85 lead.“Buti na lang pinakita ng mga bata yung composure and yung determination nila,” summed up Ayo.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2018/05/13/ex-archer-brent-paraiso-re-unites-coach-aldin-ust-41556">READ: Ex-Archer Brent Paraiso re-unites with coach Aldin in UST</a></li></ul>UST’s Renzo Subido led all scorers with 24 points while Enrique Caunan, Nat Consejo, and Zamora each added 13. Darius Estrella led JRU with 22 points.UST’s Group B record for the tournament is at 1-2, while JRU fell to 0-3.In other matches, the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde (CSB) Blazers impressed once more with a 80-73 win that the team to the top of Group B of the FilOil Flying V Preseason Cup with a 3-0 record.The Blazers previously and perennially underachieving showed great composure and a mania for execution as they outplayed and outhustled Far Eastern University (FEU) throughout the game.After both teams traded leads and FEU forged one last deadlock at 59-all following a Prince Orizu dunk off a pass by Richard Escoto, CSB dropped a 9-0 bomb that somewhat took the wind out of the Tamaraws’ sails.Fil-American rookie Justin Gutang dropped a triple to shatter the deadlock. Point guard Jimbo Pasturan hit a free throw and center Clement Leutcheu faked off two defenders for a reverse lay-up. Gutang capped the seating run with another triple to make it 68-59 with 7:08 to play.FEU battled hard to come back behind consecutive three-point bombs by Wendell Comboy and Kenneth Tuffin but CSB was not to be denied.The match was chippy all throughout due to spotty officiating and it seemed to get FEU’s goat. Things boiled over after FEU head coach threw his water bottle on the court in frustration while forward Arvin Tolentino and Gutang engaged in trash talking.FEU had a chance to overhaul a 76-66 deficit when Comboy hit another three. After a stop, Comboy was fouled by Prince Carlos while taking a three-point shot but the veteran FEU guard could only make one of three free throws that would have further cut down 76-70 lead. CSB held on for the final score.“When we started off, I wrote one word on the board, ‘Bold,’” said CSB head coach TY Tang. “This was a chance to make a statement against a Final 4 team. We wanted to make sure we worked on our composure and execution and I am happy to see that we did just that.”During their last match against Lyceum of the Philippines University, CSB turned the ball over 28 times. Against FEU, they limited their errors to 18 while forcing the Tamaraws to 21 which translated into a whopping 23-8 advantage in turnover points.Justin Gutang led CSB with 27 points including two highlight reel dunks. Clement Leutcheu added 13 while Edward Dixon finished with 12.For FEU, Arvin Tolentino top scored with 16 points while Wendell Comboy added 10.(For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.)