The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons proved to be the steadier team down the stretch against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws to tally another weekend sweep in the UAAP Season 87 Basketball Tournament, Sept. 22 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
With their wins, the men’s team remained unscathed with a league-leading 4-0 record, while the women’s squad got back to its winning ways for a 2-2 slate.
Still flawless
The UP Men’s Basketball Team (UP MBT) outlasted a late FEU Tamaraws scare with a 69-58 escape act to extend their winning streak to four.
One-and-done center Quentin Millora-Brown, more known as “QMB,” had his breakout game for the Fighting Maroons with a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Despite the win, UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon hoped for a more consistent performance from the Diliman-based squad, who saw their biggest lead at 25 fizzle out to just 11 points near the end of the contest.
“One thing that coach Gold [Monteverde] would always tell the players is our consistency. Consistency in the game would apply to fourth quarters,” he said during the post-game interview.
“In many ways, this was similar to our game against UE. After how we started in the first 25 minutes, the last 15 minutes we kind of relaxed,” Luanzon added.
After a slim four-point lead in the first quarter, State U banked on their stellar defense to limit the Tamaraws to just 7 points at the second salvo, with an easy layup from QMB putting the maroon shirts in a 39-22 lead at halftime.
UP stayed hot as FEU started to catch fire in the third, with back-to-back hits from Janjan Felicilda and Francis Lopez keeping the Tamaraws at bay, 55-37, entering the final frame.
A Reyland Torres fastbreak gave the Fighting Maroons its biggest lead at 69-44, before a barrage of threes on the FEU side sparked a 14-0 Tamaraw run that trimmed UP’s advantage to 11.
However, the Morayta-based squad’s last-ditch efforts were simply not enough as State U’s massive cushion proved to be insurmountable at the endgame.
Aside from Millora-Brown, Lopez also ensured he made every minute count after chipping in a game-high 13 points in just almost 13 minutes of game action, while Felicilda added nine markers.
In the loss, Adam Nakai and Jorick Bautista registered 12 and 11 points, respectively, as FEU remained winless with a 0-4 record.
Back on track
Coming from a tough loss from the NU Lady Bulldogs, the UP Women’s Basketball Team (UP WBT) regrouped and secured their second win of Season 87 in a high-tension match against the FEU Lady Tamaraws, 82-77.
Early contributions from Louna Ozar and Christie Bariquit gave the Diliman-based squad a comfortable lead by the end of the first frame, 29-24.
However, the Morayta-based squad swiftly retaliated with their well-orchestrated offense to shift the tides in their favor and let the girls from Diliman stare at a 7-point deficit at the half, 41-48.
In the third salvo, the Maroons played a game of catch-up as Shane Salvani from the Lady Tamaraws fiercely maintained their team’s lead over the Maroons with a slim 64-66 cushion entering the final 12 minutes.
With their backs against the wall, UP entered the fourth quarter on a strong note with a 3-pointer from RR Solitario breaking FEU’s lead and pushing both squads to play more aggressively.
State U finally escaped the nip-and-tuck situation in the dying seconds, with Achrissa Maw scoring under the rim to give UP a 4-point breathing room, 79-75, with 38 ticks remaining.
The final moments went down to attempts at the charity stripe, with free throws from Bariquit and Kaye Pesquera sealing the game.
While the Lady Tamaraws bested the Fighting Maroons with a 77-percent efficiency from the free throw line, the Maroons had the edge in rebounds (55-51) and steals (12-6)—ultimately earning their second win of the season.
State U’s top scorer, Achrissa Maw, fiercely paced the team with 25 points, nine boards and three assists.
In the post-game press conference, UP’s head coach Paul Ramos expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance in the closing moments.
“Approaching this game, we respected their game and prepared for it… I like how we won this game because I felt that the players had a more calm demeanor during that endgame,” Ramos said.
Both squads look to secure another pair of wins as they face the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Sept. 28, with UP WBT hitting the hardcourt at 11:30 a.m. and the UP MBT tipping off at 4:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.
UP MBT QUARTER SCORES: 19-15, 39-22, 55-37, 69-58
UP WBT QUARTER SCORES: 29-24, 41-48, 64-66, 82-77
