MANILA – Amiel Acido buried two crucial three-pointers in the closing minutes as University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak with a thrilling 86-85 escape over Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Acido delivered when it mattered most, scoring six crucial points down the stretch to rescue the Growling Tigers from another setback and keep their postseason hopes alive.
The victory improved UST’s record to 5-6, while FEU slipped to 6-5 in the tightly contested race for Final Four berths.
Clinging to an 80-79 lead, the Growling Tigers turned to Acido, who drained a three-pointer to stretch their advantage to 83-79.
The Tamaraws refused to surrender as Cabs Cabonillas answered with a triple, cutting UST’s lead to a single point.
But Acido responded with another three-pointer from the corner, restoring the Growling Tigers’ four-point cushion and putting FEU under pressure in the dying seconds.
The Tamaraws missed their crucial attempts from beyond the arc, allowing UST to preserve the one-point victory.
Acido finished with a team-high 23 points, including four three-pointers, to earn Player of the Game honors.
“For me, during that time, iniisip ko na lang do or die game na ito sa amin eh, hindi na kami puwedeng matalo, kaya kapag may opportunity, tinitira ko,” Acido said, explaining his determination to take the decisive shots.
Landyn Jumawan backed Acido with 18 points, while Mark Llemit contributed 16 as the Growling Tigers regained their winning form after three consecutive defeats.
Jorick Bautista led FEU with 24 points, but his scoring effort was not enough to prevent the Tamaraws from absorbing their fifth loss in 11 outings.
Kirby Mongcopa and Cabonillas chipped in 14 points apiece for FEU.
Meanwhile, National University (NU) Bulldogs tightened their grip on second place after holding off a late De La Salle University Green Archers rally for an 84-80 victory.
The Bulldogs improved to 8-3, securing their eighth victory in 11 games while avenging their first-round defeat to the Green Archers.
Reinhard Jumamoy spearheaded NU’s attack with 21 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Mo Diassana delivered 19 points and nine rebounds.
Palacielo added 14 points as the Bulldogs survived La Salle’s late comeback attempt to strengthen their position in the standings.
Andrei Dungo paced the Green Archers with 19 points, while Joaquin Tovera and Henry Agunnane contributed 12 points each.
Jan Macalalag and Earl Abadam added 10 points apiece for La Salle, which dropped to a 6-5 win-loss record following the defeat./PN
