Fighting Maroons pull off another Houdini act

For the second time in a month, University of the Philippines pulled off an escape act against University of Santo Tomas.

Growlgunner ing Tigers Marvin Lee saw his potential game-winning triple rim out in the closing seconds yesterday as the Fighting Maroons held on to a pulsating 71-69 victory that put their UAAP Season 80 campaign back on track at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Ahead, 70-64, with a little over minute left, UP found the need to reassert itself after UST refused to roll down and die, with MR Romero scoring on a tough layup and Lee drilling in a cold-blooded triple that kept the result hanging in the balance.

After a timeout sued by UP coach Bo Perasol, Fighting Maroons guard Jun Manzo was preemptively fouled by Lee. He made his first free throw but missed the backend, keeping the door ajar for the Growling Tigers with 9.2 seconds remaining.

With no timeouts left, UST rushed the leather as Lee found himself wide open for a game-winning trey which went halfway down before rimming out. Teammate Von Soriano corralled the offensive rebound but ran out of time as he tried to kick it out anew for Lee just as time expired.

“Every time we go up against UST, it’s going to be a classic for us,” said Perasol as UP repeated a thrilling 7473 win over the Tigers in their initial meeting last Sept. 10 that stopped a three-game losing skid.

Down by as many as 11 points early in the final canto, the Tigers kept themselves in the thick of the fight through their aggressiveness behind the exploits of Lee, Soriano, Jordan Sta. Ana and Cameroonian Steve Akomo.

An two-handed dunk by Akomo, off a foul from UP defender Paolo Romero, snapped UST’s near seven-minute drought from the field while pulling them within 66-61.