Girald Gaston

The revamped University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers flaunted their newfound depth and balanced scoring right off the bat in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball, drubbing the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors in a dominant 70-55 fashion on Sunday afternoon at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Photo Courtesy of spin.ph.

New recruits Mo Tounkara and battle-tested Forthsky Padrigao provided much-needed stability to the team, allowing Nic Cabañero to overcome a slow start as they helped the Growling Tigers send a strong statement in their opener.

“Players want to win, they are sharing the ball, playing as a group. We’re ready. Mahabang season ‘to, but for sure we’re ready,” said UST head coach Pido Jarencio, expressing his confidence in his team's readiness and cohesion for the long season ahead.

Cabanero went back to his old ways after early struggle, nabbing game-high 14 points off of timely baskets, Malian center Tounkara imposed his will downlow with 13 points, four rebounds and Padrigao dished out seven assists in a quiet scoring game.

Key rotations Christian Manaytay and Mark Llemit also provided great contributions inside and out, as they tallied 10 and nine points, respectively, in an efficient eight-for-ten combined clip from the field.

The España-based squad set the tone early with fine chemistry, dishing out six assists in the first quarter with Padrigao manning the point, to pull away from the white clad of Recto, 18-8 with a Manaytay midrange bucket.

Tounkara muscled his way against UE’s top guy Precious Momowei for an and-one basket, and with 2:51 left in the second frame, the Growling Tigers were bailed out by Cabanero's first bucket with a 28-foot trey as time expired to further extend the lead, 29-13.

The King Tiger was not done yet, as he drilled another deep three pointer at the buzzer off a Padrigao assist, 36-19, to end an impressive first half.
The Red Warriors showed some fight in the third quarter, with Momowei and Ethan Galang leading an 8-0 run that trimmed what was once a 20-point lead down to a dozen, making it 45-33.
Despite these efforts, the Tigers' depth was too much to handle as Migs Pangilinan and former Red Warrior Kyle Paranada entered the mix with back-to-back treys, 64-43, and Jarencio’s squad never looked back.

The foul-plagued star Momowei led UE with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Galang added 11 points with three treys in a losing effort.

After a strong debut, UST shifts its focus to the next challenge: Padrigao’s former team, the Ateneo Blue Eagles. 

“We’re just going to keep building, one game at a time,” said Padrigao. “We’re focused on our next game, which is Ateneo.”