UP center Malick Diouf.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
If there was one thing evident in the way University of the Philippines (UP) played on Wednesday night—and how it has traversed Season 86 of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament thus far—is that the Fighting Maroons are showcasing their innate ability to win.
The Maroons survived a long, cold spell in the fourth period to secure a 67-64 victory over La Salle and set themselves up for a major clash with defending champion Ateneo this weekend. UP enters the game with an unblemished record, but Ateneo possesses the tools to deny them a first-round sweep.
Despite blowing a nine-point lead at the start of the fourth period and withstanding a 12-2 La Salle run, the Maroons won their sixth straight game. They held the Green Archers to just one free throw in the final 2:10 with a solid defense that also fueled their third-quarter comeback.
“We started flat on both ends in the first half, but our defense in the second half made the difference,” said UP coach Goldwin Monteverde. “It was much better in the second half. We really fought for loose balls and were able to recover. It’s all about wanting it more.”
Malick Diouf grabbed 18 rebounds and contributed 10 points to lead the Maroons to victory and hand La Salle their third loss in six games.
UP entered halftime trailing by nine points, but tightened their defense in the third quarter, holding the highly touted Archers to just three points. They entered the final quarter with a 59-50 lead.
When it seemed like the Maroons were about to collapse, they displayed maturity and resilience during crucial moments.
National U and Far Eastern University (FEU) also secured wins, while defending champion Ateneo got back on track. National U defeated University of the East (UE) 68-49, while FEU emerged victorious with a low-scoring 49-46 game against Adamson, thanks to LJ Gonzales.
Eagles Defeat Tigers
“I’m at least 40 percent satisfied with their performance because in the first quarter, we gave up 21 points right away, sending the wrong message to our opponents,” said Bulldogs head coach Jeff Napa. The Bulldogs responded by holding the Warriors to 28 points in the final three periods.
While the Bulldogs secured their third consecutive win and FEU gained their first winning streak, the defending champion Blue Eagles climbed back to .500 after a dominant 97-77 victory over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers.
Coach Tab Baldwin acknowledged the importance of a convincing win like this, especially with the upcoming game against UP.
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Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
