Jane Bracher
BOUNCING BACK. How will UST recover from a jarring 38-point loss to La Salle? File photo by Josh Albelda/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – As rookie Ricci Rivero rose up for the punctuation reverse dunk Wednesday afternoon, September 14, the University of Santo Tomas felt the horrible sinking feeling of a jarring 100-62 defeat.
Once the Mall of Asia Arena settled in silence two hours later, the Growling Tigers, leaving the locker room in trickles, felt in their guts the gnawing question of what to do next.
“Personally, that's the worst loss of my entire collegiate career,” said UST skipper Louie Vigil, who attempted only two shots in over 12 minutes of play for 5 points. “It's hard to think about it because in the first half we're there and our players, especially our bigs, are doing their jobs on (Ben) Mbala.
“But there was a spurt in the third quarter where La Salle got their momentum and we weren’t able to stop them and at the same time, we didn't share the ball.”
Though there was strong expectation La Salle would come away with the win, UST kept in step with them in the first two quarters. That’s until Ben Mbala and the Archers stepped on the gas pedal in the second half and never looked back.
It was the Tigers’ biggest losing margin since 2003, when Imperium began handling UAAP stats. The 38-point deficit was also the second highest in the last 6 seasons, according to statistician Pong Ducanes.
UST coach Boy Sablan pointed out the 40 turnovers UST committed, subsequently giving up 34 points off of that to the Archers, who also led by as much as 41 points.
“We folded up in the third quarter. We started flat,” Sablan said in Filipino, also lamenting the foul trouble of big man William Afoakwah in the third. “He’s our energy guy. Even if he can’t shoot, he battles, defends. But our turnovers killed us.”
The loss will go down as UST’s second loss of UAAP Season 79. But what the Tigers do after this setback, according to Vigil, will be their defining moment for the rest of the year.
“This game is a test of character for us. It's how we will bounce back from this painful loss,” Vigil said. “After this game, that's when we'll be able to know how far we can go. That's the big challenge for us this coming Saturday against UP.”
Vigil will be proactive in settling down his teammates and preparing them for the next challenge.
“The season is just starting,” he said in Filipino. “What I need to make my teammates realize is that we still have a lot of time to bounce back and although the loss is painful, we just have to move on and learn from our mistakes.”
That includes overcoming another blow in the loss of sophomore forward Embons Bonleon, who is now out for the season after aggravating a wrist injury.
“Kung ano 'yung lalaruin namin sa Sabado, 'yun na siguro 'yung magiging battlecry namin (How we play on Saturday, that will become our battlecry),” Vigil said. – Rappler.com
