Through the first two games of the season, the University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Basketball Team (MBT) had made a habit of saving its best for last.
Against the Growling Tigers and the Blue Eagles, the Fighting Maroons’ second-half surges proved crucial in securing back-to-back victories, putting them atop the rankings as the only one of the eight schools to remain undefeated.
But the road to glory is never without its detours.
Facing National University (NU) on its home turf, State U’s familiar late-game clutch could not steer it past its opponents this time.
Wake UP call
The season is still young, but if the destination is to reclaim the title, a revamped UP squad has little room for detours.
After a perfect 2-0 start in Season 89, the UP MBT suffered its first loss of the season against the Bulldogs, 64-72, on Saturday, Sept. 26 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The last time State U lost to the Jhocson-based squad was in Round 2 of Season 87, the same year they eventually became champions led by key players JD Cagulangan, Quentin Millora-Brown and Francis Lopez.
But this time, the road is different, as UP navigates the post-“Maroon 5” era with a new set of players in its roster.
The Fighting Maroons struggled to maintain possession right from the tipoff, resulting in turnovers that gave the Bulldogs the leverage to immediately put nine points on the board within the first few minutes of the match while UP remained scoreless.
NU continued with a 12-4 run before Maroon forward Veejay Pre scored his first bucket of the night, followed by contributions from Miguel Yniguez to cut the deficit to 13, 12-25, before the quarter ended with a scramble on the floor as State U desperately tried to narrow the gap even more before the buzzer.
Determined to bounce back, guard Arvie Poyos immediately chipped in five points for the maroon jerseys after capitalizing on a fast-break opportunity 16 seconds into the second frame and knocking down a shot from beyond the arc, 17-28.
UP scored 18 points in the second quarter while NU was limited to 13, allowing them to trim the Bulldogs’ lead to eight by halftime, 30-38, through combined efforts of Poyos, Pre, Jacob Bayla and co-captains Rey Remogat and James Payosing.
Hoping for another second-half turnaround, the Maroon cagers instead found themselves struggling to find their offensive rhythm in the third quarter, as the Jhocson-based squad rebuilt its lead to double digits heading into the final period, 42-56.
Playing catch-up throughout the game, UP mounted one final push in the fourth, outscoring NU once again with 22 points compared to 16. But the damage had already been done, as the Bulldogs obtained their biggest lead of 18 points at 46-64.
Yniguez and Poyos combined for 12 points in the last two minutes, but the deficit proved insurmountable as the Fighting Maroons logged their first loss of the season.
Poyos led the scoring efforts for the maroon shirts with 13 points, four assists and three steals, followed by Pre and Yniguez with 11 and 10 markers, respectively.
On the flip side, Reinhard Jumamoy anchored the Bulldogs’ offense with 14 points while Macmac Alfanta, Paul Francisco and Mo Diassana chipped in double-digit markers each.
State U will aim to come back to the win column as it faces the Far Eastern University Tamaraws on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
