The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons concluded Round 1 of the UAAP Season 87 Basketball Tournament with different tales against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers on Sunday, Oct.6, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The men’s squad slipped to the second spot with a 6-1 record while their women counterpart improved to fifth seed with a 3-4 slate.
First scath
The then-undefeated UP Men’s Basketball Team (UP MBT) suffered its first loss of the season in a 56-68 setback from reigning titlists De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers to end their round one campaign.
The absence of veteran guard JD Cagulangan for the second consecutive game left a gaping hole in UP’s tactics to execute on both ends, with the team’s defensive advantages being smothered by their struggles on the offensive side.
The Diliman-based squad came off with a sluggish start, grappling with misfires from the three-point line that allowed the green shirts to pull away in the first frame, 13-19.
The cold streak continued in the following quarter, with Janjan Felicilda spraining his left ankle early in the second, deepening UP’s woes as they slid to a double-digit deficit at the end of the first half, 25-38.
The maroon shirts mounted a thrilling near comeback in the third quarter, 40-42, with Quentin Millora-Brown delivering back-to-back baskets before both coaching squads were embroiled in a scuffle that halted the game.
With momentum swinging, Alarcon came through unfazed by the conflict, sinking a crucial layup at the 2:30 mark to tie the score at 42-all, breathing life into UP’s rally.
DLSU swiftly responded with a 7-0 run snuffing out the Diliman squad’s surge.
In a final push, Terence Fortea opened the last quarter with a personal 5-0 run, slicing the deficit to 51-55.
But DLSU answered with a 4-0 run, forcing UP to call a timeout, only to be met with a barrage of three-pointers from the Taft squad.
The maroon shirts mustered only two more points, a lone layup from Francis Lopez, as their hopes for a comeback was cut to an end.
Harold Alarcon spearheaded UP’s fight, pouring in a team-high 19 points, alongside five rebounds and three steals, while Millora-Brown chipped in a double-double of 10 markers and 10 boards.
Reigning Season and Finals MVP Kevin Quiambao netted 20 points, while Joshua David contributed 14, locking in the top seed for the Green Archers at the end of round one.
Slowly but surely
A fourth-quarter surge finally paid off as the UP Women’s Basketball Team (WBT) came back for redemption after defeating the DLSU Lady Archers in a 66-62 turnaround victory.
State U starters showcased their offensive strength in the comeback win, tallying 53 points compared to the opposition’s 41, with four players producing double digits in the scoring department.
The maroon shirts started the first frame strong, with Louna Ozar’s off-hand layup initiating the scoring, creating a neck-and-neck showdown between both squads as UP pulled ahead, 17-15.
UP maintained their composure in the second quarter, but DLSU quickly responded with back-to-back shots from outside the arc care of Bea Dalisay and Bernice Paraiso, cutting the deficit to one.
With a swift penetration from Achrissa Maw, State U maintained a slight separation, 35-33, coming up halftime.
Despite a powerful drive in the first half, the Fighting Maroons ran out of steam in the third salvo, allowing the Lady Archers to take their biggest lead of the match, 44-56, off of a Mica Camba mid-range.
However, the momentum swung in favor of the Diliman side during the fourth quarter after Maw, Christie Bariquit, and Rizza Lozada knocked down three consecutive trifectas to steal away the lead, 61-60, with 3:43 left on the clock.
A crucial foul given up by Luisa San Juan in the last 13 seconds paved the way for Bariquit to ice the game with a pair of free throws and solidify State U’s comeback victory to wrap up round one.
The Taft-based squad was ultimately limited in the final quarter, managing just 6 points to State U’s impressive 20.
Maw led the team after delivering 18 points along with 8 rebounds, closely followed by Ozar with a double-double of 13 markers and 12 boards.
UP WBT Head Coach Paul Ramos highlighted the team’s coherent intentions that contributed to their victory in the closing match.
“The players were more clear with what they wanted to do in any possession. It was evident during the past games [that] we were lost with what to do during our offense. Ngayon, we made it more simple, and hopefully, the new schemes that we ran today carry over to the second round,” Ramos said during the post-game interview.
On the flip side, San Juan engineered 23 points and 8 rebounds for the Lady Archers.
Both squads aim to secure their Final Four spots as they enter the second round of the tournament.
UP MBT QUARTER SCORES: 19-13, 38-25, 51-46, 68-54
UP WBT QUARTER SCORES: 17-15, 35-33, 46-56, 66-62