UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas kept firing just like it did against La Salle, but the shots that once hit their marks against the Green Archers went missing in the third defeat in a row for these tamed Tigers.
After drilling a season-high 17 triples against La Salle, UST went 13-of-40 from beyond the arc against National U on Saturday for a still-solid 32.5-percent clip.
Still, all those were far from enough, especially after going 2-of-9 from deep in the closely fought fourth quarter.
In all, nearly two-thirds of their field goals were threes in a game they lost by just four points.
READ: On big men's backs, NU digs deeper hole for struggling UST
That meant the black-and-gold stayed away from the paint and beastly Collins Akowe who had just seven attempts from the field, making two of them - though of course, the Bulldogs' stout frontline also had something to do with it.
Make no mistake, though, the Rookie of the Year is not about to lose faith in the system.
“If it’s not converting, I would say it’s ok because I trust my teammates to make the shot,” he told SPIN.ph. “Whatever decision they make, taking it or not taking it, I gotta trust them.”
“If I get involved, fine. If I don’t, I should be able to trust my teammates to make the right plays, the right decisions.”
For the Tigers, letting it fly is part of the game plan, with its free-flowing offense allowing its shooters to shoot.
“If you know UST’s style of basketball, it’s more of a free flow. If you get three points, you shoot it, no hesitation. So, it’s part of the system,” Akowe explained.
For a fact, the boys from Espana are second in the league in perimeter output (30.8) for a third-best 83.0 point total.
Long balls lead to rebounds, right?
With UST struggling to convert from beyond the arc in this one, however, the misses should have also presented opportunities for Akowe to make his presence felt on the glass.
Only, that was not the case.
Coming into the game averaging 14.2 rebounds per outing, the Nigerian big finished with just five boards, a career low by his own account.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I was surprised when I saw the stat of five rebounds. That’s my career low for me and, again, we needed it,” he admitted.
Despite another frustrating outing following his dominant rookie season, Akowe believes it's just a matter of time before he finalizes his adjustments.
“I’m me. I’m still me," he confidently claimed. “It’s just a little bit... There’s just something changing. So I’m just adjusting.”
With the stretch run of the season now here, the Tigers' man in the middle knows there is no more room for error for him and his side.
And all Akowe and Co. can do is trust the system, trust themselves, and trust the work they always put in.
“Time to go back, watch film, study hard, and focus on recovery,” he said. "And also, come back, play hard. That’s all.”
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