University of the Philippines (UP) responded to the tough challenge thrown by University of Santo Tomas (UST) with a strong second half showing for a 78-69 victory to book a championship seat in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men’s basketball tournament Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Harold Alarcon picked up from where he left off after scoring a career-high at the end of the elimination round with another stellar performance to lead the Fighting Maroons into their fourth straight finals appearance.

UP, which advanced to a fifth title stint in six seasons, will face in the best-of-three finals the semis winner between top seed and twice-to-beat defending champion De La Salle University and No. 4 Adamson University, a game being played as of press time.

The second seed and twice-to-beat Diliman-based squad had a hard time shaking off the pesky third-seeded Growling Tigers in the first half before regaining their bearing after the break highlighted by a huge third quarter blitz to take full control of the game.

“For us, we expected a tough fight against UST. The way they run their program this season, we saw as the season progressed that they’re improving a lot,” said a relieved head coach Goldwin Monteverde, whose squad escaped being dragged to a do-or-die with their three-game head-to-head season sweep of UST.

Combo guard Alarcon scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half including eight in the payoff period to anchor UP’s finishing kick. Alarcon, who posted 33 points in a convincing win over University of the East to end the elims last week, pulled down three assists and was active on the defensive end with three steals for the Maroons.

Season 86 Rookie of the Year Francis Lopez added 16 points, Reyland Torres had 13 points while one-and-done big man Quentin Millora-Brown finished with nine points and 19 rebounds to go with four blocks for UP, which is looking to end a back-to-back runner-up finish.

Alarcon drained back-to-back baskets to give the Maroons a 68-61 lead with 4:46 left in the game. Lopez extended UP’s lead to 72-61 with 3:03 left before UST tried one final push to get back in the game and closed the gap to just six only for JD Cagulangan, Millora-Brown and Lopez to deliver the finishing blow.

“In our end, what is important is the way we responded. I believe in the second half, we started moving the ball well and we had the momentum,” Monteverde said.

The Maroons emerged from the dugout a different squad in the second half.

Clamping down on defense and finding its range after throwing bricks in the first two quarters, UP erased a six-point deficit early in the third period with a telling 21-4 fightback iced by a JD Cagulangan jumper for a 55-44 lead with 2:24 left in the canto.

UST stopped the bleeding and connected six straight points to bring down the Maroons’ lead to five only for Alarcon to answer with a pump-fake jumper heading into the payoff period.

Tigers top guard Forthsky Padrigao got ejected with 3:24 left in the game and UST trailing by seven after incurring a second unsportsmanlike foul when he elbowed Millora-Brown in the gut off a screen. Padrigao, who had a quiet seven points and three assists, was whistled for his first unsportsmanlike foul with 9:33 left in the third for pulling Millora-Brown’s jersey.

UST fought like a wounded beast in the first half, keeping the game close with sustained energy and aggressiveness despite Mo Tounkara struggling from the field with 1-of-7 shooting.

Kyle Paranada and Gelo Crisostomo led the Tigers in the first 20 minutes of the game with nine and eight markers, respectively.

UST uncorked a scorching 10-0 second quarter run to overhaul a 21-27 deficit and turn it into a 31-27 advantage late in the period.

Crisostomo gave the Tigers a 35-33 lead off a jumper before the break.

Paranada, Nic Cabanero and Crisostomo finished with 12 points each for UST. Graduating Christian Manaytay scored 10 in his final game in a Tigers jersey while Tounkara was barely felt with just an eight-point and eight-rebound contribution.

The scores:

UP (78) — Lopez 16, Alarcon 16, Torres 13, Millora-Brown 9, Fortea 8, Cagulangan 6, Ududo 3, Felicilda 2, Stevens 2, Belmonte 2, Bayla 0, Abadiano 0.

UST (69) — Paranada 12, Cabañero 12, Crisostomo 12, Manaytay 10, Tounkara 8, Padrigao 7, Acido 3, Pangilinan 3, Llemit 2, Estacio 0, Danting 0, Laure 0.

Quarters: 16-14, 33-35, 57-50, 78-69.