The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons ended the second round opening weekend with split results against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers as the men’s team improved to a 7-1 record, while the women’s squad fell to a 3-5 record on Sunday, Oct. 13, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Bounce-back win
Coming from a tough loss against the De La Salle University Green Archers, the UP Men’s Basketball Team (MBT) bounced back after overcoming the gutsy UST Growling Tigers, 83-73, in an intense match-up at the Big Dome.
Starting the game for the first time this season, Harold Alarcon immediately put up four points to give State U early momentum before Francis Lopez scored a personal 5-0 run courtesy of his signature dunk and a three for a slim 18-17 first quarter lead.
A Mo Tounkara bucket gave UST its first lead of the game, 32-33, but the Diliman-based squad stayed within reach, prompting a back-and-forth between the two teams to end the first half at a 43-all deadlock.
Down by seven early in the third due to an 11-point surge by the Growling Tigers, an Alarcon jumper sparked a 12-5 run by the Maroons, which was answered by a Christian Manaytay basket from deep to give España a three-point cushion, 59-62, entering the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, Forthsky Padrigao lined up a triple but Fortea answered with one of his own, igniting a 16-2 bomb to hand State U its biggest lead at 77-67. The UP sharpshooter drilled two more threes with 40 seconds remaining in the fourth to put the final nail in the coffin.
Fortea came up big for the maroon shirts in crunch time, engineering 9 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter while registering two rebounds and three assists.
“I saw him work hard every practice … at the same time, for me kasi syempre [ang] success ni Terrence would come from his teammates also … So, kung anumang na-achieve ni Terrence, I would say na dahil ‘yun sa tiwala ng team sa kanya,” said Coach Goldwin Monteverde about Fortea’s performance during the post-game conference.
“Tiwala lang rin talaga eh. Kay Coach Gold naman, kung ano ‘yung tiwala na binigay mo, ganun din ‘yung ibibigay niya. So, siguro pinoprotektahan lang namin ‘yun … tsaka yung faith towards sa mga games,” added Fortea.
Lopez nearly had perfect shooting with his 20 markers, making 8/9 field goals, and grabbing seven boards and two dimes, while Quentin Millora-Brown also made his presence felt on the floor with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Veteran JD Cagulangan returned to the court and guided the team after staying on the sidelines in the last two games of the first round.
And despite missing their captain Gerry Abadiano, the Fighting Maroons remained steady and consistent throughout the game, unlike most of their matches during the first round where they needed to catch up.
In the loss, Tounkara contributed a game-high 24 points while Nic Cabañero scored 17 markers for the Growling Tigers, who fell to a 4-4 slate.
Second half woes
Despite a promising first half, the UP Women’s Basketball team (WBT) suffered a heartbreaking 57-84 loss against the defending champions UST Golden Tigresses.
This marks the third consecutive loss of the Diliman-based squad at the claws of the crew from España, dating back to their Season 86 semifinal showdown.
Early in the first quarter, Lady Maroon forward Christie Bariquit scored back-to-back layups to give State U a 2-point lead, 8-6, before UST slowly created separation at the latter half of the opening salvo, with Tacky Tacatac firing a triple at the buzzer nudging a five-point advantage to the yellow shirts at 16-22.
Led by Kaye Pesquera’s eight-point second-quarter explosion, the hot-shooting maroon shirts were able to snatch the lead once again, 22-19, but ultimately fell on the wrong end of the stick and were left staring at a slim 38-41 deficit by halftime.
UP’s second-quarter magic went on a dry spell in the third period as they were outscored by 19-8 in the frame that set the stage for an eventual rout as they entered the final quarter in a 14-point deficit, 46-60.
From here on, State U’s offensive woes continued to persist, allowing the España-based squad to push their cushion to 29, which proved insurmountable for UP in the final 10 minutes.
Offensive lapses got the better of the UP squad once again as they committed 32 errors against UST’s 23. The yellow shirts capitalized on UP’s slip-ups as they produced 38 points off turnovers, with 20 coming exclusively from the fourth quarter.
Louna Ozar led UP with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Pesquera and Bariquit added 10 and 8 markers, respectively.
Meanwhile, bench player Tacatac paced the España-based squad with 23 points and two steals.
Both teams will continue their quest for a spot in the Final Four as the UP MBT will strive to maintain their dominance against the UE Red Warriors on Oct. 23, 6 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena while the UP WBT aims to improve their current standing against the Adamson Lady Falcons at Oct. 27, 4 p.m. at the same venue.
UP MBT QUARTER SCORES: 18-17, 43-43, 59-62, 83-73
UP WBT QUARTER SCORES: 16-22, 38-41, 46-60, 57-84
