Riding the momentum of its previous win, the University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Basketball Team (MBT) remains on an upward path, edging out a 69-67 victory over the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Despite improving to a 4-2 slate, the Diliman-based squad has yet to enjoy a comfortable victory, often relying on late-game surges to overcome opponents thus far.
Assistant coach Christian Luanzon acknowledged that there are still areas that the team must address as the season progresses.
“I think we just [have to] play consistently in terms of ‘yong focus namin. Because if there’s one thing we have yet to see from our team, [it’s] being focused [in] all four quarters,” Luanzon said in the post-game press conference.
For Maroon center Dikachi Ududo, trusting that the team’s readiness to step up led them to victory.
“We just returned to our identity, just [fought] the UP Fight. So we just came and fought possession by possession, just [let] everybody pick up their roles and [do] their own job. Nobody doing too much, nobody doing less,” Ududo said in an interview with Tinig ng Plaridel.
Turbulent Skies
Similar to its matchup against the De La Salle University Green Archers, the Fighting Maroons set the tone early on an 8-0 run, holding the Soaring Falcons scoreless midway through the opening quarter.
Ududo’s layup off a pass from Rey Remogat gave State U its largest lead of the match, 17-6.
What looked like the start of a comfortable outing, however, soon transformed into a neck-and-neck encounter.
Adamson came out swinging in the second frame, as Mat Edding gave the San Marcelino-based squad its first lead, 23-24, with a layup followed by a triple.
State U struggled offensively, scoring only 12 points in the second quarter compared to the Soaring Falcons’ 25-point output that gave them a 31-35 lead by halftime.
The Fighting Maroons played catch-up in the third, as the presence of Adamson center Precious Jonah in the paint created separation on the scoreboard, accounting for six points out of Adamson’s 20.
“We had the start that we wanted, but we had struggles in the game as expected because it’s Adamson,” Ududo said in the post-game press conference.
The Soaring Falcons held their largest lead, 35-48, midway into the third quarter.
Down by as many as 10 points coming into the payoff period, the maroon shirts relied on aggressive offensive efforts from Remogat and Veejay Pre, pulling off a 15-5 run to bring the match to a 60-all deadlock.
“‘Yon [ang] bunga ng tiwala na binibigay namin sa isa’t isa, kahit na lamang ‘yong kalaban, kaya naming humabol,” Remogat shared in the post-game press conference.
A dunk from Gani Stevens off a feed from Remogat gave State U a seven-point lead, 69-62, with less than two minutes remaining on the clock.
Edding and Monty Montebon led the Falcons’ late surge in an attempt to steal the lead before the buzzer, 69-67, but the Fighting Maroons ultimately took control and doubled Adamson’s 12-point output to seal its fourth win.
Montebon attempted a buzzer-beater basket beyond the arc in the dying seconds but was unable to convert.
Adamson head coach Nash Racela contested the no-call, claiming that Ududo had fouled Montebon on his final shot after seemingly making contact with him before the buzzer.
However, game officials said that the protest came too late, ruling that no time remained on the clock.
Remogat paced the Fighting Maroons with 14 points and six assists, complemented by Ududo’s 13 points and six rebounds.
Pre posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Miguel Yniguez chipped in 11 markers.
Meanwhile, Edding led the Soaring Falcons with 15 points and two rebounds, steals and assists.
State U aims to finish the opening round on a high note as it heads into a matchup against the UE Red Warriors on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
