The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons kicked off their UAAP Season 86 second round campaign with bittersweet results after securing a dominant win for the men’s team and a heartbreaking loss for the women’s squad on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
The win gave the UP Men’s Basketball Team (UP MBT) a 7-1 record, keeping them tied with the National University Bulldogs for the top seed.
Meanwhile, the Lady Maroons settled for a 6-2 record to place second in the standings alongside the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigresses.
Bounce back win
Coming from a disappointing loss against Ateneo, the UP MBT immediately returned to their winning ways after dealing the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons a 26-point beating, 77-51, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Maroon guard Reyland Torres spearheaded UP with 12 points and seven rebounds, while reigning MVP Malick Diouf tallied another double-double performance built from 12 markers and 14 boards.
With JD Cagulangan being forced to leave the game early due to an ankle injury in the second frame, Janjan Felicilda stepped up with 7 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
The Fighting Maroons dominated the match from the get-go, with Diouf and Felicilda boosting State U to a 17-11 lead to end the first quarter.
UP MBT’s Janjan Felicilda drills through the Adamson’s defense during their UAAP Season 86 round two opener at the Mall of Asia Arena. Photo by Andrea Ebdane
The maroon shirts continued their dominance in the second frame as they shrugged off the offensive attempts of Falcon standouts Matthew Montebon, Robert Yerro and returning team captain Jerom Lastimosa.
State U kept their sturdy stance to contain Adamson’s shooting, limiting the blue shirts’ production to only 9 points while exploding for a late 12-0 run to mount a 20-point UP lead entering the second half.
The Fighting Maroons never looked back in the fourth frame as UP’s lead went up to 26, crushing any possibility of a comeback for the Soaring Falcons.
Adamson’s captain Lastimosa, who had been out during the first round due to a knee injury, was also carried out of the game in the third quarter after a collision with UP’s Gerry Abadiano.
Lastimosa only had 3 points and two rebounds under his name, so it was Yerro and Eli Ramos who essentially led Adamson’s scoring efforts with 7 points apiece.
According to UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon, the team’s performance was “a good bounce-back game,” coming off an overtime loss against Ateneo.
“It’s the start of the second round, but one thing that coach Goldwin has always emphasized from the start of the season is just to keep pounding, to build what we want to improve as a team on both ends,” Luanzon said during the post-game press conference.
Close call
The UP Women’s Basketball Team (UP WBT) suffered their second loss of the season after succumbing to the UST Growling Tigresses in a push-and-pull 72-74 defeat at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Lady Maroons struggled to establish a smooth takeoff due to UST’s pesky defense, forcing them to close the opening quarter with a 5-point deficit, 17-22.
State U still could not find their groove as they continued to trail the Tigresses, 21-31, 3 minutes into the second frame.
With their backs against the walls, UP WBT was able to recover their usual pace and cap off the first half with a Rhea Sanchez trey to cut the deficit to just one, 39-40.
Louna Ozar later stepped up with back-to-back jumpers to lead State U past the third salvo and start the deciding frame at a 55-all deadlock.
With both teams refusing to give an inch, UP’s Kaye Pesquera drilled a shot beyond the arc to snatch the lead, 62-60, but the Tigress duo of Kent Pastrana and Tantoy Ferrer answered with an 11-0 run.
Just when UST’s lead was trimmed to 4 in the final minute, Ozar missed two crucial free throws within the last 16.2 seconds.
Bariquit managed to drain a trey a few seconds before the buzzer, but it still was not enough to tame the Tigresses.
Filipino-French Ozar was at the forefront of the Lady Maroons’ gutsy efforts with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists in the absence of team captain Justine Domingo, who was nursing an ankle injury from their previous game against Ateneo. Pesquera also chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds for the side of UP.
Meanwhile, Pastrana starred for the Tigresses with 25 points and six rebounds.
The UP WBT will seek to break their two-game losing streak as they face the Adamson Lady Falcons on Saturday, Oct. 28, at the AdU Gym.
Meanwhile, the UP MBT will also attempt to redeem their first-round loss to defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 29, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
UP MBT QUARTER SCORES: 17-11, 40-20, 58-38, 77-51
UP WBT QUARTER SCORES: 17-22, 39-40, 55-55, 72-74
