MANILA – Joshua Fontanilla came up with clutch hits in the endgame as University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers turned back Adamson University Falcons, 79-72, in the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Holding to a slim 72-70 lead with under a minute left, Fontanilla drove to the basket and finished with a smooth reverse layup to widen the Growling Tigers’ advantage to four.
In the ensuing play, Falcons’ Joshua Yerro missed a basket attempt before Fontanilla sealed the win for the Growling Tigers with a three-pointer with 19.3 seconds remaining.
Fontanilla, a transferee from St. Clare Saints, finished the match with 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists as the Growling Tigers notched its second straight win for a 2-2 slate.
Rookie captain Paul Manalang led the way with 15 markers, on five outside conversions, while Bryan Santos contributed nine points and eight rebounds for the Growling Tigers.
“Hindi na bata tong mga to, mga beterano mga to,” said UST coach Jinno Manansala. “Sabi ko sundan niyo ‘yung gameplan. Masisispag ang mga to. Expect more from the UST Growling Tigers.”
Jerom Lastimosa flirted with a triple-double, dropping 16 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, while Lenda Douanga added 16 points and seven boards as the Falcons dropped to 1-3.
Meanwhile, defending champions Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles took down archrival De La Salle University Green Archers (3-1) with a second half breakaway, 74-57.
Angelo Kouame tallied 16 points, 19 rebounds, and two blocks as the Blue Eagles improved to 4-0 while also notching their 30th consecutive victory in the UAAP.
In other results, University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons (3-1) prevailed over University of the East Red Warriors (0-4), 81-66, while National University Bulldogs (2-2) turned back Far Eastern University Tamaraws (1-3), 73-68.
BOX SCORE:
UST 79 – Manalang 15, Fontanilla 10, Santos 9, Cabañero 8, Concepcion 7, Herrera 6, Ando 6, Manaytay 5, Mantua 5, Yongco 3, Gomez de Liaño 3, Pangilinan 2, Samudio 0, Canoy 0.
AdU 72 – Lastimosa 16, Douanga 16, Magbuhos 8, Peromingan 7, Zaldivar 6, Sabandal 5, Yerro 4, Colonia 3, Hanapi 3, Manzano 2, Maata 2, Jaymalin 0.
Quarterscores: 19-16, 45-41, 64-58, 79-72./PN
