In another display of grit and tenacity, the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons eked out a pair of hard-fought victories against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 85 collegiate basketball tournaments.
With their triumphs yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the men’s team now boasts a pristine 3-0 record in the tourney, while the women’s team earned its first win streak since Season 78.
Another clutch win
The Fighting Maroons averted a mid-game meltdown to fend off the FEU Tamaraws, 73-67, for their third straight win of the season.
Unlike their first two games, the defending champions opened the match with aggressive offense, as Zavier Lucero and Terrence Fortea took turns in scoring from the three-point arc to establish a 23-10 advantage.
UP, however, blew their lead as FEU responded with a run of their own, thanks to Ximone Sandagon and Cholo Añonuevo who snatched the lead for the green-and-gold, 42-41.
The second half opened with several deadlocks between both teams with Fortea hitting a triple to negate Sandagon’s scoring run at 53-all. But Sandagon nailed another three-pointer to bring the Tamaraws back on top, 60-57.
The Maroons entered the final quarter with a tighter defense on display to score six unanswered points.
A couple of missed free throws by the Maroons gave FEU the chance to close the gap, but a waxing-hot Carl Tamayo nailed back-to-back shots to put UP ahead, 70-65
Fortea sank two free baskets in the next sequence to virtually seal the win for UP.
Fortea posted an impressive 5-of-5 shots from three for a career-high 17 points to lead the Maroons. Tamayo also came through in the crucial moments, punching in half of his 16 markers in the final quarter.
Sandagon carried the heavy load for FEU, firing 20 points and seven rebounds.
Fighting Maroons assistant coach Christian Luanzon underscored once more the team’s need for improvement in terms of consistency.
“We got what we wanted compared to the last two games – starting off strong but we were not able to sustain it,” said Luanzon.
“This is one thing that Coach Gold [Monteverde] always preaches, ‘yung consistency ng all quarters. Good thing this is only the third game,” he added.
Getting better
Meanwhile, the UP Women’s Basketball Team (UP WBT) clawed its way out of a 16-point deficit to run away with a 73-56 victory over the FEU Lady Tamaraws.
Trailing throughout the first half, the Maroons bounced back early in the third frame when the Tamaraws lost Camille Taguiam to an injury. Rookie standout Kaye Pesquera took advantage for UP, sparking a 24-3 run to rally past FEU, 50-45.
The final period was an all-UP affair, with the Maroons grinding it out to complete a turnaround against the Tamaraws, securing their first win streak since Season 78 and first win over FEU since Season 79.
Pesquera put up another stellar performance with 22 points, 20 of which she scored in the second half. Rizza Lozada chipped in 11.
Kyla Go powered FEU with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
UP WBT head coach Paul Ramos hopes that the team would be able to sustain their early win streak over the next matches.
“As I’ve said to our team, it’s not the win that we’re trying to get here in our season, it’s really the culture of winning, kasi it’s been a while that we were in the win record,” Ramos said.
The Fighting Maroons seek to maintain their winning form as they battle against the National University Bulldogs on Oct. 12, with the men’s team playing at the Mall of Asia Arena at 1 p.m, and the women’s team taking center stage at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion at 3 p.m.
UP MBT QUARTER SCORES: 23-10, 41-42, 57-60, 73-67
UP WBT QUARTER SCORES: 15-18, 26-35, 50-45, 73-56
