UE’s Nick Abanto shoots over SWU’s Boko Mupungu in yesterday’s Filiol Flying V Hanes Premier Cup game at the Arena in San Juan.
The Southwestern University Cobras suffered their third loss in four games after they were edged out by the University of the East Red Warriors, 63-59, in a tightly-contested match in the 2015 Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup last night at the Arena in San Juan City.
The loss was a costly one for the Cebu champions as it dropped them to 1-3 in Group B while the Red Warriors zoomed to the top with a 5-1 win-loss card. Worse, the road gets tougher for the Cebuanos as they face off against the mighty rulers of the NCAA, the San Beda Red Lions, today.
While the front court of Congolese Boko Mupungu and Daryl Goloran kept the Cobras within striking distance all game-long, SWU ultimately could not overcome the sub-par performances of their normally-reliable backcourt. Two-time Cesafi MVP Mark Jayven Tallo struggled to find the mark and finished with just seven points in a frustrating evening which saw him miss all but one of his 10 attempts.
Fil-American guard Jasper Tallo fared no better with just six, all of which came from the charity stripe. Veteran Jan Auditor also floundered with just two and missed all five of his shots. In all, SWU shot 33 percent from the field.
Mupungu led the Cobras with another double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds peppered with three blocked shots while Goloran added 15.
In contrast, UE’s Renz Palma scorched the nets with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field.
BOX SCORES:
UE (63) Palma 18, De Leon 8, Charcos 7, Awana 6, Abanto 6, Manalang 4, Gonzales 4, Batiller 4, Guiang 4, Varilla 2.
SWU (59) Mupungu 20, Goloran 15, Tallo 7, Parker 6, Holper 3, Pardo 3,Bregondo 3, Luz 2, Auditor 0, Acuno 0.
Quarter scores: 19-14, 36-32, 49-48, 63-59.