New beginnings start from a veteran coach’s homecoming.
The University of the Philippines (UP) Women’s Basketball Team (WBT) overcame a 13-point deficit to win its first game of the season in an 89-82 turnaround against the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Now under veteran tactician Eric Altamirano, the Fighting Maroons snapped their two-season losing streak against Ateneo dating back to Round 1 of Season 87.
Altamirano was part of the roster that brought home the second UAAP Men’s Basketball championship to Diliman in 1986, 36 years before State U reclaimed the title in Season 84.
The game also marked Altamirano’s return to the UAAP sidelines, following his previous tenure with the National University Men’s Basketball Team 10 years ago.
“It’s good to be back here in the UAAP. We’re happy with the outcome of the game. Talagang it was a come-from-behind [win],” the former Fighting Maroon said in the post-game press conference.
“We had to dig deep, especially in the fourth quarter. But I’m proud of these girls — their resiliency [in] being able to overcome the lead of Ateneo,” he said.
Late-game Maroon magic
The UP WBT found itself playing from behind early.
Following Camille Nolasco’s first triple of the match just 23 seconds in, UP went scoreless for a stretch, trailing by as many as seven points, 3-10.
Newcomers Kennan Ka and Tiani Abrams then knocked down back-to-back buckets for UP, cutting the deficit to two, 8-10.
The maroon shirts closed the first quarter lagging behind as the Blue Eagles continued to dictate the pace, 23-28.
In the second frame, the Diliman-based squad was still unable to steal the lead as the gap grew wider, with Ateneo standout Kacey Dela Rosa totalling 17 points by halftime, 41-49.
With a season opener win still within reach, the Fighting Maroons refused to back down.
UP scored 19 points at the beginning of the second half alone, then completed an 8-0 to cut the deficit to three before the final quarter, 60-63.
Picking up where they left off, the Fighting Maroons orchestrated runs of their own and traded baskets with the blue shirts early in the fourth.
The momentum finally swung in favor of the maroon side of Katipunan after Nolasco made a shot beyond the arc, tying the game at 78-all with 3:21 left on the clock.
After trailing the entire match, State U finally caught up and decided not to hit the brakes as Marielle Vingno’s jumper gave UP its first lead of the match, 80-78.
Nolasco then came in hot with 1:36 remaining, drilling another three to stretch the squad’s lead to five.
The remaining 40 seconds became a parade to the free-throw line as both teams committed fouls, but State U made sure to capitalize from the charity stripe, with Vingno, Nolasco and Ka sinking two free throws each to keep the Maroons ahead until the final buzzer.
Nolasco paced the Diliman-based squad with 19 points, 13 of which came exclusively from the final quarter.
“Coming into this season kasi, my confidence was really low. I [played] bad[ly] noong offseason namin, but ‘yong team po namin, our coaches and all our teammates, lagi lang po nilang pinapaalala sa’kin na they always have my back,” the junior guard said in the post-game press conference. “[N]akapagperform [ako] nang ganito kasi sa tulong din po talaga ng lahat sa team namin.”
Meanwhile, fresh from her Gilas Pilipinas Women’s 3×3 stint at the 2026 Asian Games, Ka contributed 15 markers in her UAAP debut.
“[I played] with Kacey for a week and she’s a great player. [S]he’s built like no one else in this league, so I knew it’s gonna be a challenge guarding her,” said the Fil-Am Maroon forward of her Gilas teammate.
“I really think it was just a team effort in guarding her, just kind of limiting her as much as we can, but she’s obviously still had a great game,” she said.
Dela Rosa led the scoring efforts for the Blue Eagles with a double-double performance of 28 points and 16 rebounds.
State U will seek back-to-back wins against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
