Rising star Carl Tamayo emerged on the occasion on opening day. –Tristan Tamayo / INQUIRER.net
Ahead of opening day, University of the Philippines (UP) grandpa Carl Tamayo had no return of Evan Nelle, who chose his La Salle team as the favorites of the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament.
Instead, the 6 foot 7 Maroons star lets his game speak for itself. And his game speaks for itself. Tamayo calmly buried two game free throws in intriguing seconds as the Maroons opened their title-holding bid with win from behind 72-69 pass the Archers on Saturday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“If he (Nelle) believes they are the best team, we respect that. We just did what we had to do to win,” said Tamayo, who finished with 18 points and 19 rebounds as he tortured the Green Archers again, just like he did in the Finals. previous season.
And a word of warning to the other teams: He doesn’t just cook up a special Carl Tamayo just for La Salle.
“It has nothing to do with facing La Salle. Our team has been building a culture where no one is given up and [everyone] will fight to the end, no matter who we face,” said national program member Gilas Pilipinas.
Nelle had a narrow chance to back down on her pre-season statement, but the slippery guard fumbled among a host of UP defenders at the top of the arc and couldn’t land a desperate shot.
Nelle actually pulled the Archers in round one with three bans and put Tamayo on the charity strip in the next game. Tamayo’s horrendous in-game free throws allowed the Maroons to bounce back after falling double-digit in the second quarter, where a dizzying turn against La Salle’s fearsome defence made they are bewildered.
Tiger wins
UST’s Nic Cabanero in the opening game of the roaring tigers in UAAP Season 85. Photo by Tristan Tamayo / INQUIRER.net
“I think we have to be more organized in our successful matches. It’s our first game, but there’s no reason for us to have to play in such a situation,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Terrence Fortea added 15 points to the defending champions, who also took a double-digit lead in the second half.
Malick Diouf was also instrumental in securing victory for the Maroons, his pair of return hits and consecutive defensive stops around the belt helping the Maroons erase the deficit midway through the fourth inning.
Alex Winston leads the Archers with 27 points while Nelle adds nine points.
Meanwhile, the University of Santo Tomas, wearing an offensive jersey from the school’s UAAP raid during the 1993 season, has found a new king cobra.
Nic Cabanero scored a career-high 33 points, including the insurance basket with 41.6 seconds remaining, to lift the Roaring Tigers win 69-60 beat the Adamson Falcons in the season opener.
Undaunted by the lackluster scoring clock, Cabanero confidently threw the jump back to create the five-point gap the Tigers needed in the final seconds to start a promising season.
“My coaches have instilled in me confidence. They always tell me to be calm and calm,'” Cabanero said in Filipino. The sophomore has been pushed to leadership roles following the absence of several key UST players this season.
“I’m glad I was able to help our team win the first game,” added the 6-foot-2 combo guard.
Cabanero immediately showed what he was doing right, picking up 17 points in the first half before finally going 13/18 from the field in 32 minutes of play.
“Any coach would give Nic a chance. There’s no doubt he’s skilled enough and can help us win the W”, said newly appointed UST head coach Bal David, who has inherited a record-breaking all-new rookie team. 3-11 than last season said.
David, a former PBA star and key player on the UST 14-0 championship team in 1993, added: “I prefer to be called the underdog because there will be less pressure on our final side.
The Falcons attempted to revive their dwindling chances near the end, but failed three times from afar, allowing the Tigers to block Adamson’s demise on the charity strip.
Christian Manaytay and Paul Manalang split their free-throws as the Falcons charged into a frenzy before Cabanero scored with two of his own.
Lenda Douanga and Joshua Yerro each have 13 points for the Falcons, who chased the Cabanero and Tigers long before closing in on Jerome Lastimosa three, 60-63, with just one minute left.
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