The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons mirrored its Round 1 results against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in their rematch Sunday, Oct. 26, at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The men’s squad continued its winning ways while the women’s team slid to a six-game losing streak.
Leveling UP
Beginnings are sweeter the second time around.
The UP Men’s Basketball Team (MBT) started the season with two losses, but the squad has just turned things around, pulling off wins in its first two games in the second round.
After closing Round 1 with a loss to De La Salle University, the UP Fighting Maroons tamed the FEU Tamaraws, cruising to a comfortable 89-75 victory in the second round and climbing to second place with an improved 6-3 record.
With the victory, the Maroon shirts extended their perfect start in the second round, winning their first two games.
“One thing about this game [against FEU] was we moved the ball better as a team…kumbaga na-identify ng bawat isa ang role sa team namin. I am really happy that we are improving as a team,” UP MBT head coach Goldwin Monteverde said in a post-game interview.
UP’s offense caught fire late in the opening quarter as Francis Nnoruka powered his way inside for a layup that stretched its lead to 18-8.
While FEU struggled to keep pace against UP’s tight defense, Kirby Mongcopa and Janrey Pasaol buried consecutive jumpers in the closing seconds of the quarter to trim the Tamaraws’ deficit to nine, 21-12.
The Morayta-based squad tried to stay within striking distance to start the second period, but UP preserved its lead, adding 23 points in the frame compared to FEU’s 19.
State U dictated the tempo on both ends heading into halftime, 44-31, as its defense forced the Tamaraws into rushed shots and costly turnovers.
Fueled by Jacob Bayla’s relentless defense that broke FEU’s flow, the Fighting Maroons kept their intensity high early in the second half. Reyland Torres then sank a jumper off a steal to keep UP in control heading into the fourth, 65-52.
With the clock winding down to 20 seconds, Francis Nnoruka punctuated the win with back-to-back dunks from Harold Alarcon’s feeds, 89-75.
“We are still practicing every day to improve our skills and everything. I would say we are getting better than the first round. We are slowly putting our team together from good to great,” Nnoruka expressed.
Nnoruka led the charge for the Fighting Maroons with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Gani Stevens and Rey Remogat added 14 and 12 markers, respectively, to round out UP’s balanced attack.
Meanwhile, Mo Konateh led FEU with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Jorick Bautista chipped in 22 points built on five triples.
Almost there
So close yet so far.
Despite a comeback late in the second half, the UP Women’s Basketball Team (WBT) ran out of fuel in the final minutes, narrowly missing a come-from-behind win, 75-79, against the FEU Lady Tamaraws.
State U opened the game hungry to snap its losing slump. Louna Ozar fired all eight of her points and dished four assists to give the team an eight-point cushion, 25-17, after the first 10 minutes of play.
A jump shot from Maroon forward Achrissa Maw extended the Diliman-based squad’s lead to 10 early in the second frame, 27-17.
FEU responded with a 24-2 run, led by Yvette Villanueva’s 12-point explosion, limiting the Fighting Maroons to just four points in the quarter, 29-41.
Down by as many as 18 in the third, team captain Shanina Tapawan stopped the bleeding for State U with a bucket that sparked a run for UP, trimming the deficit to seven heading into the payoff period, 54-61.
Maw and Camille Nolasco came alive in the final stretch, scoring nine and eight markers, respectively, to bring the Maroon squad within two, 71-73.
The Morayta-based squad rebuilt its lead with a six-point run, but Nolaso and Maw refused to back down, trimming FEU’s advantage, 75-77, in the final minute.
Looking to secure the win from a tightly contested game, Ozar and Nolasco each attempted to convert points off a jump shot but missed, ultimately failing to steer the Fighting Maroons to a much-awaited victory.
Nolasco lived up to the “UP Fight” mantra, delivering 17 points, six assists and three steals. Maw and Marielle Vingno added 13 and 12 markers, respectively, while Ozar contributed 10 assists and nine steals in the loss.
Villanueva powered the Lady Tamaraws with 23 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
The WBT looks to arrest its slide with an upset against defending champions National University Lady Bulldogs on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, while the MBT will aim to stay on the win column as it faces the UST Growling Tigers on Nov. 5 at the same venue.
