Late-game misses haunted the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, who absorbed narrow losses to end the elimination round against De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The men’s team stands at the second spot with a 10-4 record and a twice-to-beat advantage heading into the semifinals, while the women’s squad ends its season at seventh place with a 3-11 slate.
Fireworks that fizzled out
Despite an early 16-point lead, the UP Men’s Basketball Team’s (MBT) quest for a round two sweep came to a close after a nail-biting 82-87 defeat to the victory-hungry DLSU Green Archers.
Early in the game, State U’s momentum surged with a 19-2 run fueled by trifectas from Rey Remogat and Gerry Abadiano, along with a buzzer-beater jumper by Harold Alarcon, ending the first quarter with a 26-15 advantage.
The fire was short-lived when Green Archer Michael Philips arrowed the Maroons down with 10 markers from the paint and one free throw, cutting the lead down to three by halftime, 44-41.
Maroon center Francis Nnoruka powered the Diliman-based squad’s offense with second-chance baskets, keeping the battle neck and neck throughout the third quarter as DLSU began to pull ahead, 58-59.
UP’s Rey Remogat drained back-to-back triples early in the fourth in an attempt to trim La Salle’s lead, but the trio of Vhoris Marasigan, Earl Abadam and Jacob Cortez retaliated with jumpers of their own to keep the Fighting Maroons behind by six.
Abadiano kept State U within striking distance after a triple with 25 ticks left on the clock, but Reyland Torres’ foul on Abadam proved costly, as the Maroon jerseys dropped their elimination round sweep dreams to La Salle, 82-87.
Foul troubles plagued the Diliman-based squad as five players were one foul away from exiting the playing court, including Nnoruka who got ejected after committing an unsportsmanlike and technical foul.
Remogat recorded a personal season-high 25 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while Nnoruka provided backup on the paint with 14 markers, seven rebounds and two assists.
Leading the Green Archers were Mike Philips with 21 points and 14 rebounds, along with Vhoris Marasigan, who notched 17 markers.
Heartbreak Finale
The UP Women’s Basketball Team (WBT) fell short of its goal to end the season with a farewell victory for head coach Paul Ramos, suffering a slim 73-75 defeat against the DLSU Lady Archers on a later schedule at the same venue.
Following its last game for the season, UP WBT officially announced the exit of Ramos and his coaching staff in a social media post.
The tactician said in a post-game interview that he believes that it is time for the team to have a change in coaching staff. Ramos will be taking a break from basketball after a seven-year coaching stint with UP that began in Season 82.
State U started the game guns blazing as it went on a 15-2 scoring run for a six-point cushion to end the first quarter, 23-17.
Shane Cunanan took over the Maroons’ offense in the second frame as she scored 10 of her 21 markers to maintain their lead, 43-38, despite Lady Archer Kyla Go’s 14-point outburst.
UP’s lead, however, was erased in the third salvo as DLSU’s full-court pressure cut off its inbound passes, forcing 10 turnovers, 56-64.
Despite trailing by 10 early in the fourth, the Diliman-based squad regained its bearings and went on a 12-4 run to cut the deficit to two.
With 14 seconds left on the clock, Louna Ozar stole the ball on La Salle’s inbound, leading to a Bjeanx Barba floater that narrowly missed the mark to end the game, 73-75.
Cunanan led the Maroon charge with her season-high double-double of 21 markers and 14 boards, while Achrissa Maw and Marielle Vingno chipped in 10 points each.
Go powered the Lady Archers’ win with a 34-point eruption, while Pau Anastacio pitched in 17.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, Coach Ramos expressed gratitude for the memories of his tenure with UP, including their Season 86 Final Four appearance that ended a 15-year drought.
“My mind is still thinking about what could have happened [and] what could have been done better during the game. I’m still in coach mode but […] in a while, the memories of the past seven years will really sink in and I will miss this team,” Ramos said in an interview with Tinig ng Plaridel.
WATCH: UP Women’s Basketball Team head coach Paul Ramos reflects on squad’s #UAAPSeason88 journey
Prior to the season, foreign student athlete Favour Onoh, who helped lead UP’s Season 86 bronze-medal run, left to play in the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, while guard Kaye Pesquera was sidelined for over half of Season 88 due to a knee injury.
But amidst the tough season the team had, Ramos remains proud of the squad for playing their best even during their eight-game slump.
“We played our cards the best way we could. I think that’s what I can say. What we have right now, we maximized it the whole season. We didn’t get all the results that we wanted, but that’s basketball,” said Ramos.
Both the MBT and WBT notched lower win-loss records in their Season 88 campaign compared to Season 87. The men’s squad slid by a win with its 10-4 record, while the women’s team dropped two wins with its 3-11 standing.
