INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines ? Hustle became the order of the day for the UP Fighting Maroons as they stumped the UST Growling Tigers, 71-62, to register their first win in the Nike Summer League seniors at the FEU gym in Morayta.

Forward Woody Co topscored with 26 points while deadshot Martin Reyes drained a couple of treys down the stretch and contributed 15 points for the Maroons.

?The team showed good hustle and defense,? said coach Aboy Castro, gearing up for his second UAAP season with the Maroons this July.

UP?s hustle resulted in crucial steals in the fourth period, allowing them to preserve their lead while distributing the ball well, registering 11 assists against only four by the Tigers.

Castro, however, noted his team need to continue focusing on the game and improve their mental toughness. ?We are still far away from where we want to be in the UAAP,? he said.

UP currently totes a 1-2 win-loss card while UST absorbed its third loss in four games.

On the other hand, UST assistant coach Bojing Acot said his team still lacks maturity. ?We?re still unfamiliar with the strategies of our opponents. But this was another experience for us,? he said.

The Tigers were led by Clark Bautista and Khasim Mirza who scored 16 points and 15 points, respectively.