Alive and kicking

Rey Remogat might not admit it but there’s something about facing his former school University of the East (UE) that brings out the best in him.

After being held to just 2.5 points in his first two games for the University of the Philippines (UP), Remogat delivered a double-double performance as he led the Fighting Maroons to a 92-75 win over the Red Warriors for their first win in Season 88 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Remogat, the former UE star who jumped ship to Diliman, scored 18 of his 21 points from beyond the three-point line as UP got back in business after losing their first two games by an average of 11.5 points.

The 21-year-old guard swears he has no hatred towards his former teammates as he finally submitted a breakout performance in his first season for the Maroons after sitting out last year to complete his one-year residency.

“I wasn’t really forcing things, even though we were coming off back-to-back losses. Playing with too much emotion can either go bad or good,” said Remogat, who also had seven rebounds and two steals to go with his double-double.

“I just chose to focus on what I needed to do as a point guard, and I didn’t use the fact that it was UE as motivation to play well.”

After UE jumped to a 17-9 lead, the shifty guard exploded, drilling five triples for 18 first-half points that turned the tide and buried his former squad in a 53-36 halftime hole.

UP carried that momentum into the third quarter, extending the lead to 20 as Remogat and Mark Belmonte buried back-to-back threes, Miguel Palanca scored inside, and Gerry Abadiano made three free throws to build a 74-54 cushion heading into the final frame.

Nigerian forward Francis Nnoruka stretched the margin to a game-high 28 points for UP, 85-57, after a thunderous dunk with 6:13 remaining in the fourth period.

More than getting the victory, UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde was happy to finally see his boys click.

Season 88 became the first time the Maroons lost their first two games under Monteverde, who steered them to four straight UAAP finals appearances and two championships.

“For me, of course these kinds of wins are always positive, especially if it’s our first win. For me, more than the win, it’s how we played this game today,” Monteverde said.

“It’s an understanding that we need each other to achieve something big.”

Big men Nnoruka and Gani Stevens had identical double-double games with 14 points and 10 rebounds each for UP while Abadiano finished with 11 points and two rebounds as they look to continue their momentum when they face unbeaten National University this Saturday at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Precious Momowei led UE with a double-double of his own with 18 points and 10 rebounds as they absorbed their third straight loss this season.

Team captain John Abate added 15 points, six assists, four steals, and three rebounds for the Warriors while Jhon Jimenez chipped in 10 points and four boards.

UE stumbled to its ninth consecutive loss since last season, dropping to 0-3, its worst start to a UAAP men’s basketball campaign since going winless in Season 84.

The Scores:

UP (92) — Remogat 21, Nnoruka 14, Stevens 14, Abadiano 11, Palanca 8, Bayla 7, Belmonte 6, Felicilda 3, Alarcon 2, Torres 2, Andres 2, Briones 2, Fortea 0, Alter 0, Coronel 0, Yniguez 0.

UE (75) — Momowei 18, Lingolingo 18, Abate 15, Jimenez 10, Datumalim 5, Mulingtapang 3, Tañedo 2, Caoile 2, Robles 2, Cruz-Dumont 0, Lagat 0, Malaga 0.

QUARTERS: 27-20, 53-36, 74-54, 92-75.