UP coach Perasol lauds 'very tough' UST Growling Tigers | ABS-CBN

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UP coach Perasol lauds 'very tough' UST Growling Tigers

UP coach Perasol lauds 'very tough' UST Growling Tigers

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

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The UST Growling Tigers impressed UP coach Bo Perasol. Josh Albelda, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines – Very few gave University of Santo Tomas (UST) much of a chance in the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball tournament, not after another tumultuous summer that saw the departure of several key players.

Yet there they were on opening weekend, giving a promising University of the Philippines (UP) squad all it could handle before the Growling Tigers fell in the final seconds of the contest.

It took a clutch three-pointer from Paul Desiderio with 1.4 seconds left to push the Fighting Maroons to a 74-73 victory over the dribblers from España in their first game of the season.

UST's superb effort – which included a rally from 11 points down to take a late lead in the fourth period – earned praise from UP coach Bo Perasol.

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"That UST team is very tough," said Perasol of the Growling Tigers, who were pegged as a rebuilding team heading into Season 80, especially after the departure of players Louie Vigil, Renzo Subido, Embons Bonleon, and Jan Sheriff.

"Alam ko naman na maraming hindi nagbibigay ng tsansa sa UST, pero playing against them, I definitely know that they can give anybody their money's worth," he added.

More than anything, it was UST's size that caused UP to falter. The 6-foot-9 Steve Akomo manned the paint for the Growling Tigers, but long, rangy players like Zach Huang, Jordan Sta. Ana, Jeepy Faundo, and Jorem Soriano also caused headaches for the Fighting Maroons.

"Ang game plan namin was really to play the transition game, but we were not making stops because they were too big for us," Perasol admitted.

Without a true post-up option, UP resorted to letting it fly from the perimeter, and the Fighting Maroons took a whopping 26 three-pointers – 11 from Desiderio alone.

At the end of the day, Perasol could only breathe a sigh of relief after having gotten past the Growing Tigers. He believes that UST's performance against them should serve as a warning sign to the rest of the UAAP.

"If they're not going to take UST seriously," said Perasol, "They're going to pay for it."

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

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