Cansino vows to improve defense, play better after UST loss to NU

CJ Cansino has established a solid reputation in the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament despite being just a rookie.

University of Santo Tomas’ prized youngster has quickly emerged as one of team’s stars after he finished seventh in the Most Valuable Race after the first round.

Cansino, however, knows he can’t be satisfied and in fact, he found an area of his game where he can improve on after the Growling Tigers lost to National University 69-61 Sunday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

READ: NU stuns UST for third win

In a matchup of burgeoning freshmen, it was the Bulldogs’ Dave Ildefonso who got the better of Cansino and the versatile wingman said the defeat is just going to help him become a better player in the long run.

“I really have to improve my defense and I promise that I’ll be better in our next game,” said Cansino in Filipino.

Cansino fell prey to Ildefonso’s jukes in the most crucial of times after the latter scored five points in NU’s 6-0 run in the fourth quarter that gave the Bulldogs a vital 65-58 edge with 2:58 left in the game.

Ildefonso, as if clockwork, duped Cansino in going to his right with a shimmy before going straight to the basket for layups, one of which was a three-point play.

The loss brought the Tigers to a 4-5 record and put them in a tie with University of the Philippines in fifth. A win would’ve placed UST in a share of the third spot with Far Eastern University and De La Salle.

“It hurts of course, but we have no choice but to move on,” said Cansino who had eight points, 18 rebounds, and five assists. “We played well but we just couldn’t get the win.”