BY Andrei Barrantes
UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas didn’t get the outcome it desired in its first UAAP juniors basketball finals game in over 15 years, as NU-Nazareth School took the Game 1 triumph on Thursday.
READ: Bullpups tame Tiger Cubs in highly-charged Game 1
Just a week since shocking the Bullpups with a 20-point beatdown to end the eliminations, the Tiger Cubs couldn’t quite replicate their newfound success this time around against their vengeful finals foes.
The player who got the biggest bite of all was presumptive first-ever Best Foreign Student-Athlete (FSA) Collins Akowe, who flipped an eight-point, 18-rebound stat line in their last meeting into a dominant double-double of 24 points and 22 rebounds.
Many of the NUNS big's numbers came with UST's own capable and confident FSA in front of him - and in the end, Racine Kane could only compliment his foreign peer.
READ: The real MVP? Akowe welcomes first-ever Best FSA award with open arms
“Yeah, we were both ready to play. He was ready to play for NU, I was ready to play for UST. We’ll be back for sure the next game,” he told SPIN.ph, noting that they both gave nothing short of their best in their finals head-to-head.
“Today we really needed to win this first game, but we lost. We need to be ready for the second game and [force] a third game.”
And so, with their backs against the wall while waiting an excruciating seven days before their next meeting at the same venue, Kane is already locked in.
Keep shooting, Kane
The Tiger Cubs' Senegalese talent came up big himself with 25 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, three steals, two assists, but struggled from deep with just one of his eight attempts connecting.
Even so, he maintained confidence in his shot, and vowed better results come Game 2.
“Today, I lost my shot. And I know that I need to be ready to work on my shooting. We have one week, and I will be ready for next game, surely,” he said.
Kane and Co. may have fallen short in the title series opener, but make no mistake, they will keep coming at the Bullpups.
If it's a dogfight NUNS wants, then UST is already sharpening its claws and gritting its teeth, as it fights for its life a week from now.
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