UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas made sure the celebrations over at Recto were going to be shortlived.
Just days after University of the East earned its first win after 30 straight losses, the Red Warriors ran into the Tigers back on the prowl and eager to growl come the UAAP Season 89 Final Four.
UST dragged UE down from cloud nine right from tip-off for a 35-point opening salvo all the way to a 97-70 rout, Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Now at 6-6 thanks to back-to-back wins, the Growling Tigers have given themselves a proper fighting chance in an increasingly crowded race for three remaining playoff berths.
Good sign for UST
Even better, the Tigers found production from places they had not been able to count on all season.
Landyn Jumawan was the catalyst for their fantastic the first half, erupting for 14 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting, while knocking down all three of his attempts from deep.
Then there was Peter Osang, who finally made his UAAP debut three years in the making and immediately carved out a place in coach Pido Jarencio's rotation.
Osang finished with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds, and five blocks, proving to be a reliable alternative for when UST decides to give Nigerian beast Collins Akowe a rest.
Amiel Acido topped the scoring column for the again-growling Tigers with 22 points on top of six rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while skipper Mark Llemit got 11 markers, seven boards, three dimes, and three pilfers of his own.
Toper Lagat matched Acido's 22 points for the Red Warriors, but this time, they could not find the same collective push that powered their skid-endingvictory.
The Scores:
UST 97 — Acido 22, Osang 19, Jumawan 16, Llemit 11, Buenaflor 10, Chio 5, Danting 5, Canete 3, Sevilla 3, Alao 2, Manding 1, Sevilla 0, Esteban 0, Bucsit 0.
UE 70 — Lagat 22, Jimenez 10, Cruz-Dumont 7, Vazquez 6, Sabroso 6, Carillo 5, Tanedo 4, Dungca 3, Apostol 3, Edoukou 2, Robles 2, Santos 0, Datumalim 0, Perez 0, Mascarinas 0, Javier 0.
Quarters: 35-19, 58-41, 82-56, 97-70.
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