Diliman’s bid for another Final Four appearance remains within reach after the University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Basketball Team (MBT) secured a dominant 101-70 win over the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors on Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym.
After a string of narrow victories in their previous games, the Fighting Maroons recorded their largest winning margin of the season with a 31-point triumph, surpassing their previous 19 against the Ateneo Blue Eagles in September.
Assistant coach Christian Luanzon praised the roster’s enthusiasm in maintaining intensity as the season progressed, but also acknowledged that the team’s growth must continue beyond the elimination rounds.
“What’s important is [as] we go through the season, [pinapaalala] namin ni Coach Gold, [once] the season starts, it doesn’t end there. The growth [and] the improvement still have to continue all the way up to the Final Four,” Luanzon said in the post-game press conference.
On highest gear
State U found its rhythm early, as Gani Stevens, James Payosing and Veejay Pre took initiative in the paint to push an early 15-8 lead midway through the quarter.
The Diliman-based squad took hold of their momentum, fending off the Red Warriors’ attempts to keep pace as a Rainer Maga layup off a Jacob Bayla assist gave UP a 12-point lead by the end of the opening frame, 29-17.
Both teams traded baskets in the second, but UE’s Toper Lagat caught fire within the first two minutes of the quarter, scoring nine consecutive points from beyond the arc to trim the State U advantage to eight, 34-26.
Coming off the bench, Choi Palanca hammered home a dunk, 38-28, to restore UP’s double-digit lead.
The Fighting Maroons led by as many as 15, but UE went on a six-point run to trim its deficit and end the first half, 51-40.
The maroon shirts continued to build on their lead in the third frame, mounting a 7-0 run capped by a layup from Bayla, 62-47, to stave off UE’s attempts to catch up before Elliot Dimaculangan closed out the quarter with a buzzer-beater triple to give State U a 75-59 cushion heading into the payoff period.
Entering the final stretch of the match with a 16-point cushion, the Diliman-based squad maintained its offensive prowess, with Palanca, Kio Franco and LA Andres accounting for 18 of the team’s 26 points in the quarter to secure their fifth straight victory.
Palanca, now in his second year as a Fighting Maroon, remains eager to make an impact on the floor despite his limited playing time.
“[Kinakausap] naman ako palagi ng mga coach [na] maging ready. [17-man] lineup [kami], ready to play [dapat] lahat. Naging ready lang ako para [ipakita] na kaya ko,” Palanca said in the post-game conference.
The six-foot-seven forward delivered a breakout performance, tallying 12 points, four rebounds and an assist in under 11 minutes of action.
“Malaking confidence booster [ito] kasi [noong] first round, hindi naman ako masyadong [naglaro]. I stay composed [and] stay confident lang palagi. Every practice, sa game, [go] hard lang ako palagi,” he added.
Pre led UP’s collective scoring with 14 markers, six rebounds and five assists, while Stevens chipped in 13 points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, Lagat spearheaded the Recto-based squad’s effort with 23 points, two rebounds and an assist.
Now a step closer to securing a Final Four spot, UP MBT will aim to sustain its momentum in its next matchup against the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Nov. 4 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
