Precious Momowei of UE. PHOTO BY MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Going into the second round, University of the East ranked sixth among teams in assists.
Coach Jack Santiago knew his team was far better than that.
Heading into Saturday’s match against a hapless University of Santo Tomas weighed down by a five-game losing streak, Santiago found the perfect opportunity to drill in a much-needed message as the Warriors looked to resuscitate a gasping Final Four bid in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament.
“If you enter our dugout, you will see there [written] the big word ‘team work.’ And I think I explained it very well to the [Red Warriors] earlier that we are struggling because we lost our extra passes,” Santiago said. He did.
The Warriors, who averaged a shade under 16 assists per game in the first round, dished out 29 on Saturday to rip the Tigers, 86-73, at Mall of Asia Arena.
“We watched spliced videos that showed us our forced shots in the previous games and we looked bad. We also saw games wherein we reached three or four passes [to find the best shot] and we looked good doing that,” Santiago went on as UE improved to 3-6 to remain just above the Tigers.
Top contributors
The top contributors of UE made sure they did their share in passing the ball: Precious Momowei had five assists to go with his team-highs 17 points and 18 rebounds. Abdul Sawat, who set the tone for UE with 15 of his 17 points in the first half, also had five assists to go with his four rebounds. Noy Remogat had eight assists to highlight an all-around game that included nine points and seven rebounds, Jack Dumont-Cruz only scored five points but he had seven dimes.
“When we move the ball, it makes us look undefeated,” said rookie Ethan Galang, who was born of Filipino parents but was raised from Los Angeles, California. Galang scored 11 points in just 10 minutes of playing time. “My teammates made me look good, setting me up in the right position.”
“The boys followed instructions. We came out very strong in the first quarter and then we shared the ball [that gave us] good results,” said Santiago.
The Tigers are still missing the services of Adama Faye and sunk deeper, 1-8 (win-loss). UST has now lost 21 of its last 22 games dating back to last season.
Migs Pangilinan led the Tigers with 20 points, 17 coming in the first half. Nic Cabañero had 18 points and six rebounds, while Ivanne Calum added 11 points.
“[The win] was very important for us, especially that we are on the losing [streak]. Their morale has already been low so this win against UST is a big help for the team,” Santiago said as UE braces for its encounter against the Tamaraws on Nov. 5 after a weeklong break.