The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons emerged as the only unbeaten school in the UAAP Season 86 collegiate basketball tournaments, following a pair of wins against the National University (NU) Bulldogs last weekend.
State U now keeps a flawless 3-0 record after overcoming last season’s third-placers to fly solo at number one in the men’s division. Meanwhile, the Lady Maroon’s victory over the seven-year defending champions allowed them to share the top spot with the UST Golden Tigresses.
Crucial win
The UP Men’s Basketball Team recovered from a sloppy start to trounce the feisty National University (NU) Bulldogs, 78- 60, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Unlike their previous opening performance against the University of the East Red Warriors, the maroon shirts struggled to display an emphatic start against the highly defensive Bulldogs, who ruled the first frame at 9-13.
Both teams were then caught in several deadlocks until the Fighting Maroons mounted a 9-0 run, tying the game at 18-all before team captain CJ Cansino’s buzzer-beater trey closed the second stretch at 30-25 in favor of UP.
However, the Bulldogs came back to life in the third salvo as they fired up a 10-4 blitz to retake the lead, 34-35, thanks to sophomore PJ Palacielo’s successful tip-in challenged by reigning MVP Malick Diouf.
But it wasn’t long enough until State U drew more offense powered by Harold Alarcon’s back-to-back buckets, pushing the Diliman-based squad to take their first two-digit lead, 58-45, to kick off the final frame.
NU proved uneasy to fend off as mainstays Jake Figueroa and Kean Baclaan trimmed the deficit down to six, 54-60, only to fall prey on UP’s consistent attacks and defense at the latter to close the match at 60-78.
Newly recruited Filipino-Angolan Francis Lopez earned his first-ever UAAP Player of the Game award with 14 points and seven rebounds to hand the Bulldogs their first loss.
Diouf and Cansino also played a pivotal role in extending the streak, both finishing with 12 markers.
“It was a defensive game in the first half. So sustaining that defense and dealing [with] a team like NU, you can’t relax. This is a good win for us in terms of what we can grow as a team. We’re happy for this win,” said UP MBT head tactician Goldwin Monteverde.
Unwavering tenacity
Meanwhile, the UP Women’s Basketball Team also remained unblemished in their campaign as they took down the seven-year defending champions, NU Lady Bulldogs, 72-69, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on Sunday, Oct. 8.
The maroon shirts tamed the Lady Bulldogs’ early-game feist as Favour Onoh and Kaye Pesquera drilled two straight buckets to tie the game at 13-appease, allowing the Maroons to dominate the rest of the first frame, 23-14.
Although the blue-and-gold attempted a comeback in the second quarter, the Maroons were able to capitalize on the Bulldogs’ struggling offense to close the first half with an extended 12-point lead.
The reigning titlists ultimately came to life in the third frame by stunning the Maroons with a 15-2 run to retake the lead, 46-52, led by NU’s Camille Clarin and Florence Talas.
After a neck-and-neck exchange of 2-pointers in the final quarter, the combined efforts of Pesquera, Onoh and debuting guard Louna Ozar denied NU any chance to regain control.
Onoh’s defensive rebound off Karl Pingol’s missed shot allowed UP to secure ball possession with less than 20 seconds on the clock, while Ozar’s crucial shot from Christie Bariquit’s steal gave UP their game-winning play to snag State U’s first win over NU since 2011.
The UP Women’s Basketball Team Captain sings the school hymn ‘UP Naming Mahal’ after an upset win over the NU Lady Bulldogs at the Quadricentennial Pavilion. Photo by Lyjah Bonzo.
Onoh led the Maroons with a double-double performance of 18 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Bariquit with 13 markers and nine boards.
Prized recruit Ozar also showcased a stunning UAAP debut fresh from her national team stint with 9 points and four steals.
Fronting NU’s losing efforts was Angelica Surada with 11 points and 15 rebounds to add to Pingol’s 15 points and seven boards.
Despite the historic win, Head Coach Paul Ramos wants the team to remain committed to their goal for the season.
“We’re just really happy [about the win]. We’re gonna celebrate the moment but we didn’t come here this season just to win a game against NU. We have a mission [and] we’re trying to get that,” said Ramos.
Both teams seek to remain in the win column as they face Far Eastern University on Oct. 11, at the Mall of Asia Arena (Men’s) and Adamson Gym (Women’s).
UP MBT QUARTER SCORES: 9-13, 30-25, 58-45, 78-60
UP WBT QUARTER SCORES: 23-14, 43-31, 49-50, 72-69
