Warriors turn back Tamaraws

MANILA, Philippines —  University of the East added to the piling woes of new coach Sean Chambers and Far Eastern U, escaping with a 56-51 comeback win in a duel between winless squads in UAAP Season 87 yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ethan Galang saved the day for UE by unleashing a personal 8-0 finishing kick highlighted by the go-ahead triple as the Warriors improved to 1-2 after losing to Santo Tomas and host University of the Philippines in the opening week.

The sophomore winger bled for just two points in the first 39 minutes but came to the rescue in the nick of time, draining a game-tying trey in the last 1:16 followed by the eventual game-winner in the last 25 seconds.

His pair of triples came from the left wing right in front of the Tamaraws (0-3), who muffed multiple game-tying tries as Galang sank two freebies anew on the other end to finish with 10 points and seal the deal from a 47-51 deficit in crunch time.

Gjerard Wilson added 10 points while Rainer Maga and Wello Lingolingo had nine and seven, respectively.

“We responded very well. It’s hard to play with a 0-2 record but I just gave some instructions to the boys to just stick together. I’m happy that we did even if we’re down,” said coach Jack Santiago, whose wards trailed by as many as 10 points.