The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) raised the curtains on its 85th season with the joint start of both men’s and women’s basketball tournaments for the first time since the pandemic.
For the Fighting Maroons, opening day was a tale of mixed fortunes, with a tough defeat on one end and a hard-fought victory on the other.
Back on track
The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons launched its UAAP Season 85 title defense with a 72-69 comeback win over the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, Oct. 1.
The defending champions bucked a slow start and staged a third-quarter scoring blitz to emerge victorious in a rematch of last season’s Final Four matchup.
UP struggled to cut through La Salle’s tight defense, giving away multiple turnovers to trail by as much as 10 points in the first half.
The third frame saw the maroon shirts go on a scoring run to trim the deficit to four, before Malick Diouf and James Spencer ran the attack to snatch the lead at 70-64.
Mike Phillips and Evan Nelle produced five quick points to keep the Taft squad within striking distance. However, their last-gasp efforts were trumped by Tamayo’s two clutch free throws, which ultimately sealed the victory for UP.
Picking up from where he left off last season, Tamayo led the Maroons’ charge anew, putting up an impressive double-double performance with 18 points and 19 rebounds.
Terrence Fortea played a breakout game in the absence of JD Cagulangan to injury, adding 15 points, nine assists and five rebounds.
On the flip side, Alex Winston and Nelle paced the Green Archers with 27 and nine points apiece.
In the postgame interview, Tamayo said the work has just begun for the Fighting Maroons, highlighting the team’s need to display consistency in their next matches.
“Season 84 champion kami pero tapos na ‘yun. I think maaga pa ‘yung liga para masabi ko [kung magiging champion kami]. We’re working hard para makuha yung gold,” the reigning rookie of the year shared.
A struggling start
Conversely, the UP Women’s Basketball Team (UP WBT) returned to the UAAP hardcourt with a 73-51 loss against the DLSU Lady Archers.
La Salle’s aggressive rebounding kept UP at bay throughout the first half. The Maroons went on a 9-3 run early in the third frame, but could not sustain their momentum as DLSU cemented a 22-point margin by the end of the match.
Acrissa Maw was the lone double-digit scorer for State U, finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Fina Niantcho spearheaded the Lady Archers’ winning charge with a double-double performance, firing 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Despite a lackluster showing in their debut, UP WBT head coach Paul Ramos believes the team’s performance will only get better as the season progresses.
“If you’re gonna ask me on how we are [going to] prepare for our next game, it’s more about mental [preparation]. We need to work things out in our mind on how we can play, how [we are] expected to play, and how [we can] showcase our skills and talents,” Ramos shared.
The UP Fighting Maroons will play against the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Wednesday, Oct. 5, with the women’s team taking the court at 3 p.m. at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion and the men’s team at 1 p.m. at the Philsports Arena.
UP MBT QUARTER SCORES: 16-17, 34-42, 50-54, 72-69
UP WBT QUARTER SCORES: 8-19, 19-35, 38-57, 51-73
