MANILA, Philippines – The UST Growling Tigers’ bid to arrest their skid just got tougher.
Mo Tounkara, the Tigers’ top scorer, has been slapped a one-game suspension in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament after incurring two technical fouls, which he will serve in UST’s home game against the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday, October 19, at the Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Tounkara — who ranked seventh in the MVP race and second overall in scoring (14 points per game) at the end of the first round — will also be ineligible for any individual awards this season.
After getting tossed out in UST’s 94-87 overtime loss to La Salle on Wednesday, October 16, Tounkara knows he has to keep his emotions in check moving forward.
“I need to control myself sometimes, I got too much in the game,” said Tounkara.
The 6-foot-7 foreign student-athlete got ejected with still 3:38 to play in the fourth quarter of the thrilling second-round duel between the Growling Tigers and the Green Archers after incurring two technical fouls.
Tounkara got called for his first technical foul midway through the opening frame after flexing on Green Archers’ foreign student-athlete Henry Agunnane following a foul-counted play.
He then got slapped with his second technical foul in the midst of UST’s massive fourth-quarter fightback for taunting La Salle big man Mike Phillips.
League rules state that two technical fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct result in an automatic ejection, followed by a one-game suspension.
“Man, I was too much in the game,” Tounkara told reporters after the match.
“Sometimes, I have to control myself. I think if I was there, we would have much more chance to win this game.”
Despite missing the services of Tounkara down the stretch, UST almost completed its comeback from as many as 20 points down and almost snapped its nine-year losing skid to La Salle.
However, Forthsky Padrigao failed to capitalize on golden opportunities to give UST the lead late in the fourth quarter as the Kevin Quiambao-led Green Archers went on to dominate the Tounkara-less Growling Tigers in the extra period.
“That truly showed how we have a pretty good team this year,” said Tounkara of UST’s gutsy performance versus the defending champions.
“We keep growing and we keep getting better every day. That’s what I can see from the team.”
“I think through our preparation, we are going to do much better and I’m looking forward to our next five games,” added Tounkara, who had 14 points and 8 rebounds prior to leaving the floor.
Minus Tounkara, though, UST needs to deal with an Ateneo side gaining confidence and aiming to build on its 70-68 escape of NU — just the team’s second win of the season.
The Growling Tigers, despite dropping their first two assignments of the second round, remain at the No. 4 spot with a 4-5 win-loss record. – Rappler.com