The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons notched split results against the Ateneo de Manila University with the men’s squad improving to a 9-1 record while the women’s team slid to a 3-7 slate as the UAAP Season 87 Basketball Tournament elimination round finale nears.
With the Battle of Katipunan win, the men’s team is now on a three-game winning streak to start the second round, while the women’s team is looking to regain their footing for a late push to vie for a Final Four contention.
Steamrolling through Katipunan
The UP Men’s Basketball Team (MBT) boosted their bid for a twice-to-beat advantage after clipping the wings of the Ateneo Blue Eagles with a 75-47 beatdown on Oct. 30 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The 28-point State U demolition marked their biggest win yet in UAAP Season 87, while they solidified their hold on the solo second place.
UP steamrolled through Ateneo’s defense as they hammered 42 points inside the paint, including multiple and-one plays, almost doubling their opponents’ 22 markers.
The Blue Eagles opened the floodgates early, draining multiple shots beyond the arc to gain an early 10-4 advantage in the first quarter.
In contrast to their previous games, the Fighting Maroons quickly adjusted this time as they recalibrated with a 13-5 run initiated by a Harold Alarcon jumper to gain the lead at 17-15.
From then on, it was a Maroon-colored wrecking with Reyland Torres draining a quick three that ignited an 8-0 offensive outburst for State U en route to a 39-28 advantage at halftime.
Hopes for an Ateneo second-half comeback were extinguished as Francis Lopez and Quentin Millora-Brown led a 15-0 UP surge in the third frame, limiting their struggling Katipunan rivals to just 12 points, 66-40.
Despite a low-scoring fourth period, a Jacob Bayla craft layup with less than two minutes left marked State U’s biggest lead at 30, enough to put the Blue Eagles away for good.
Helming UP’s fast-paced offense was reigning Rookie of the Year Lopez, who recovered from his uncharacteristic two-point performance last Sunday against Adamson University, notching a game-high 20 points and five rebounds against his former school.
Millora-Brown, who stabilized the Maroons with another double-double of 11 markers and 10 boards, said that they are now more cohesive as a unit compared to their first game of the season which was also against their Katipunan neighbor.
“As a team, everyone feels a lot more connected. At the beginning of the season, I think that the ball maybe didn’t move quite as quickly as it was today. [It was] the rhythm that we found as a team throughout the first round and the beginning of the second round,” said Millora-Brown during the post-game press conference.
“The joy that each of us have for each other when we do well, I think that’s really just where we are at as a team. We don’t care who gets the glory, we just want to win,” the big man added.
Chris Koon and Shawn Tuano led the Blue Eagles’ losing efforts with nine and seven points, respectively, as Ateneo fell to a 3-8 slate, hurting their chances for a Final Four contention.
Crunch time stumble
Fresh from a loss last Sunday against Adamson University, the UP Women’s Basketball Team suffered a late-game collapse anew to fall short yet again to another feathered foe, the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 66-75, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Lady Maroons’ quest for a Final Four ticket took a major hit as they slid to a 3-7 win-loss record with their defeat.
This puts them two-and-a-half wins behind Ateneo, who improved to 6-5 with just four games remaining in the elimination round.
Veteran guard Kaye Pesquera showed the way for State U in the loss, stuffing the stat sheets with 17 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
Louna Ozar also provided steady help with an all-around performance of 16 markers, eight boards, five dimes, and four steals, but a costly fifth foul late in the fourth frame caused her to miss the waning moments, where the Maroons completely melted down.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair right from the get-go before UP found themselves staring at a slim one-point lead at halftime courtesy of a last-second Pesquera jumper.
Pesquera continued to provide the spark for the Diliman-based squad, drilling another mid-range jumper to start the third quarter and ignite a 6-0 bomb for State U, 37-32.
However, Ateneo was quick to soar back from their early fall in the period via an 8-3 run to reclaim the lead at 41-42 entering the final frame.
The Lady Maroons were able to enjoy a short 48-47 advantage after a Pesquera basket, but reigning MVP Kacey Dela Rosa and the Lady Eagles completely spoiled the part with a momentous 16-3 run, 63-51.
A Pesquera trey with 4:05 minutes left trimmed the deficit to just three, but as Ozar fouled out seconds later, the Dela Rosa-led Ateneo proved too mighty and scored 8 straight points to add the final nail to the coffin.
Current MVP race leader De La Rosa displayed dominance anew with her 11th double-double performance this season, built from 28 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocks to steer Ateneo to 6-5 and hold her squad steady for the fourth seed.
The UP MBT and UP WBT will clash with the National University on Nov. 3 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, with tip-off starting at 3:30 and 6:30 PM, respectively.
UP MBT QUARTER SCORES: 17-15, 39-28, 66-40, 75-47
UP WBT QUARTER SCORES: 14-20, 31-32, 46-47, 66-75
