University of the Philippines inched closer to completing its redemption tour in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.

Center Quentin Millora-Brown picked the right time for a career performance while veteran guard Gerry Abadiano delivered the dagger trey as the Fighting Maroons shocked defending champion De La Salle University, 73-65, to draw first blood in the best-of-three finals series Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

At the losing end of their last four UAAP meetings, including the last two games of last season’s championship showdown, UP finally solved the Green Archers puzzle with relentless effort on defense after struggling in the first half to move within a win away from reclaiming the throne and ending back-to-back bride’s maid finishes. Game 2 is on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Fighting Maroons clamped down on defense in the third quarter after trailing by four at halftime, limiting La Salle to just nine points in a dry spell that lasted seven minutes.

But the biggest defensive masterclass shown by UP was when it held back-to-back Most Valuable Player winner Kevin Quiambao to just one point and without a field goal in the last two quarters after pouring 18 in the first half.

Quiambao was 0-of-6 from the field in the second half and went scoreless for 15 minutes. He scored his only point off a technical freethrow with 5:38 left in the payoff canto.

“We know well, if we’re gonna play against La Salle, defense is really key to winning the game. I felt in the second half, we had more intensity defensively. We communicated better. For me, it was a total team effort,” UP coach Goldwin Monteverde said after UP’s fourth straight series opening game in four consecutive finals appearances.

The six-foot-10 Millora-Brown muscled his way to a personal-best 17 points off 7-of-11 field goal shooting and grabbed nine rebounds to go with three assists, two steals and a block for the Diliman-based squad.

JD Cagulangan, who nailed the game-winning trey in UP’s Season 84 title-clinching Game 3 win over Ateneo de Manila University two years ago, added 13 points, Francis Lopez also had 13 points while Abadiano added nine points and eight boards.

“Offensively, for me, we moved the ball much better in the second quarter and good thing that we sustained it until the second half,” Monteverde said.

Millora-Brown completed a three-point play off a two-handed slamdunk to give the Fighting Maroons their biggest lead, 63-52, with 6:43 left in the game.

Quiambao took over in the first half, willing La Salle in front after a sluggish start with key baskets and timely treys. The Gilas Pilipinas member neared a double-double entering the intermission as he blasted 18 points on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds in 17 minutes of action.

The scores:

UP (73) — Millora-Brown 17, Cagulangan 13, Lopez 13, Abadiano 9, Torculas 7, Bayla 5, Alarcon 4, Torres 3, Fortea 2, Stevens 0, Felicilda 0, Ududo 0.

La Salle (65) — Quiambao 19, Phillips 17, Gollena 11, Austria 7, Ramiro 5, David 2, Agunnane 2, Marasigan 2, Dungo 0, Macalalag 0, Gonzales 0, Rubico 0.

Quarters: 11-18, 37-41, 50-54, 73-65.