Tigers, Warriors trim tailenders

Ed Daquioag of UST goes up for a shot against Celedonio Trollano of Adamson in yesterday’s game. KIMBERLY DELA CRUZ

University of Santo Tomas and University of the East scored contrasting victories over the tailenders to remain tied for fifth place in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Tigers narrowly slipped past the Adamson Falcons anew, 61-59, while the Warriors rolled past University of the Philippines Maroons, 68-48, even minus injured star Roi Sumang.

UST and UE both improved to 4-4. The Maroons, who snapped a 27-game losing skid with a 77-64 win over the Falcons last week, fell to 1-7, while the Falcons remained winless in eight outings.

Louie Vigil buried the the go-ahead jumper, 60-59, with 1:51 left, before Aljon Mariano shone in the endgame by grabbing three crucial offensive rebounds in the final minute to rescue the Tigers.

“They played very good defense again,” UST coach Bong dela Cruz said of the Falcons, who also lost to the Tigers by just a point, 49-50, in the first round. “We couldn’t convert our outside shots, we couldn’t penetrate inside.”

Charles Mammie posted a double-double of 15 points and 14 boards and also blocked four shots to power the Warriors, who led by as many 24 points, 62-38, in the final quarter.

Sumang sat out due to a sprained ankle, but Dan Alberto ably took over as he sparked the Warriors’ early breakaway by drilling nine of his 11 points in the opening quarter.

“We’ve gone over the hump after losing four straight [in the first round],” said UE coach Derrick Pumaren.

Trailing by only a point, 59-60, the Falcons couldn’t gain possession in the final minute as the Tigers dominated the boards.

The Tigers grabbed four straight offensive rebounds—the last three from Mariano—after missing four consecutive attempts in a crucial final-minute stretch that doomed the Falcons.

The scores:
First Game
UST 61—Vigil 13, Daquioag 11, Ferrer 8, Subido 8, Mariano 7, Sheriff 7, Lao 5, Abdul 2, Basibas 0, Faundo 0, Lo 0, Pe 0.
ADAMSON 59—Rios 22, Trollano 16, Iñigo 11, Donahue 4, Polican 3, Baytan 2, Garcia 1, Aquino 0, Barrera 0, Butron 0, Monteclaro 0, Nalos 0, Pedrosa 0, Villanueva 0.
Quarters: 19-12, 35-29, 52-52, 61-59
Second Game
UE 68—Mammie 15, Alberto 11, Olayon 11, Javier 6, Galanza 5, Jumao-as 5, Charcos 4, Guiang 3, De Leon 2, Hernandez 2, Arafat 2, Varilla 2, Palma 1, Cudal 0, Derige 0.
UP 48—Reyes 19, Lao 10, Vito 7, Asilum 4, Moralde 2, Gingerich 2, Gallarza 2, Harris 2, Lim 0, Juruena 0.
Quarters: 18-7, 32-24, 51-36, 68-48