UE opens Filoil Cup with thriller over UST

It’s an opener that’s gonna be hard to top.

University of the East edged out University of Santo Tomas with its fair share of bitten nails, 60-59, to start the 2015 Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup on Saturday afternoon at Arena in San Juan City.

It was a defensive gem of a play that sealed the opener for the Red Warriors when Bernard Awana rose up for an emphatic block on the breaking Mario Bonleon with 17 seconds left in the game.

Red Warriors head coach Derek Pumaren said they were still a working progress and “still far” from form.

“Some of these guys have been with us for only a week,” Pumaren said. “We’re here not just to win, we’re here to learn and do what we have to do.”

UE was down three, 57-54, midway through the fourth until Phillip Manalang started a 6-0 run that gave them the 60-57.

Jan Sheriff dwindled the deficit to one, 60-59, at the 1:19 mark of the fourth.

It looked as if the Growling Tigers could take the opener when Bonleon forced a turnover on Paul Varilla but Awana struck him down with the game-sealing block.

Pumaren said his team, majority of which were freshmen, still had to learn the system as they prepared for the UAAP.

“This is part for the preparation for the UAAP, this is not the big thing,” Pumaren said.

Varilla led the Red Warriors with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double while Awana recorded seven points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.

Bonleon had an impressive outing for UST as he recorded 17 points and nine rebounds.

Ed Daquioag added 12 points for the Growling Tigers. RC