TAKING in 15 straight defeats dating back to its lackluster Season 85 run is a frustratingly tough pill to swallow for the UST Growling Tigers.
Since their dismal 1-13 (win-loss) record under former tactician Bal David, the 18-time UAAP men's basketball champs have yet to hit the ground running with veteran mentor Pido Jarencio back at the helm.
Moving forward, it will mainly be up to the Tiger seniors led by Nic Cabañero to go full throttle from here on then and twist their fortunes from a troubling 0-2 start.
READ: Adamson survives UST in OT thriller to grab first win
The 20-year-old cager nailed two clutch threes and the overtime-forcing layup in what ended up to be a losing effort for UST against Adamson.
With 17 points, four dimes, and three steals in the loss, Cabañero attributed his unrelenting display to the core values of resilience and persistence already instilled by Jarencio in his second coming at España.
"Lagi naman sinasabi sa’min ng coaches, ni Coach Pido (Jarencio), na kahit lamang na (‘yung kalaban) ng ilang points, laban pa rin tayo. ‘Di pa kasi tapos ‘yung oras so laban lang kami. Pero ‘yun nga, kinapos lang talaga kami (sa Adamson)."
But for Cabañero, individual heroics won't suffice for a team that is in dire need of active on-court leadership from its senior figures.
"As veterans and seniors of the team, kailangan namin mag-step up talaga. Kami ‘yung dapat mag-take charge sa team namin eh — kami nila Migs (Pangilinan), ni Paul (Manalang), ni Christian (Manaytay), kailangan kami talaga ‘yung mag-step up," Cabañero stressed.
An uphill battle beckons for UST (0-2) when it takes on La Salle (1-1) on Saturday, 3 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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