UST gains share of lead; UE escapes NU

Games today:

Mall of Asia Arena

11 a.m. – UP vs. FEU

3 p.m. – La Salle vs. Ateneo

THE UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers gained a share of the lead in the standings after they banked on a feisty defensive effort in the second half to sink the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 67-62, in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

In the second game, Roi “Super” Sumang lived up to his moniker as he completed an improbable four-point play with 3.7 seconds remaining to lift the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors past the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 71-67.

The game was tied at 67-all with less than 10 seconds remaining in the tightly fought contest.

The ball eventually fell into the hands of the spitfire guard, who craftily squared up his defender, two-time league MVP Bobby Ray Parks, before rising up three feet behind the arc to sink the booming three pointer while getting clipped in the process. He made the freethrow with 3.7 ticks left to ensure the win.

Sumang finished with 19 points, six rebounds and two assists to negate the 18-point 11-rebound performance of NU big man Emmanuel Mbe.

UE’s reinforcement, Charles Mammie, also had a tremendous showing with 15 points and 20 rebounds, 13 coming on the offensive end.

The loss was actually NU’s second black eye of the day as it withdrew from its lineup its other import Alfred Aroga, after it was learned that the latter has not completed his two-year residency.

In the first game, Kevin Ferrer paced the Tigers with 17 points while Jeric Teng added 15 to put them beside erstwhile leaders Far Eastern University at the top of the standings with identical records of 2-0 (win-loss). The loss put Adamson at 1-1. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio