Despite the 46 points contributed by Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Developmental League (D-League) first draft pick Joshua Munzon, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigers were still able to bring the win home with a 113-108 victory over AMA Online Education last Monday, February 25 at the Paco Arena in Manila.
Soulemane Chabi Yo contributed the most for the Titans at 25 points, 18 rebounds, and five blocks, while Sherwin Concepcion provided a double-double as well with 20 points and 13 boards. Rhanz Abando and Renzo Subido both provided 19 points to the Coach Aldin Ayo-led squad. However, it was Mark Nonoy who sparked the energy for the Growling Tigers in the fourth quarter, chipping 14 to crawl up from an 11-point deficit. Coach Aldin was delighted with the result of the exciting game, reporting, “Our composure was tested. For sure, we learned this game. It was a back and forth effort, so every time we experience that, the decision making of the players will definitely be tested.”
Munzon, on the other hand, had his career game for the Titans and became the player that contributed the second-most points in the league’s history with a total of 46. He also had 11 rebounds, six steals, and four assists. Teammates Franky Johnson and Troy Rike added 21 points and seven rebounds respectively. However, according to Munzon, he learned through this loss the importance of staying consistent until the end, telling the media, “It’s definitely tough. We gave up a lot of easy shots, we broke down a lot on defense. I feel like everybody tried their hardest, but it was just the little things that we just gave up on towards the end. We fell apart mentally as a team,” adding, “I was just trying to win the game, honestly. Not really thinking about how many points I was going for, but just trying to win the ball game. That was basically my mindset.”