Reigning champion University of the Philippines (UP) is starting to heat up using its deep and balanced roster in Season 88 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.

In their previous game against National University (NU) on Saturday, the Fighting Maroons banked on Filipino-American sharpshooter Miguel Yniguez, Nigerian forward Francis Nnoruka and veteran Harold Alarcon to pull off a 66-59 win for their second consecutive victory in the early stretch of this prestigious collegiate league.

With Yniguez, Nnoruka and Alarcon at the firing end, the Fighting Maroons cut a 13-point deficit in the third quarter to book the victory that snapped the Bulldogs’ three-game winning streak.

UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon said other players are determined to step up as they move forward from the departure of Francis Lopez, Quentin Millora-Brown and JD Cagulangan.

“In the collegiate scene, players would always come and go. We just got to move forward and every player here is handpicked. Meaning, they are unique in their own way,” Luanzon said following the victory that broke their losing streak at the Quadricentennial Pavilion inside the University of Santo Tomas campus.

True enough, it appears that Fighting Maroons are ready to respond when needed.

In fact, when they broke their two-game losing streak with a 92-75 win over University of the East last week, Yniguez went scoreless while Alarcon was limited to only two points.

But against the Bulldogs, Yniguez proved that he’s ready to step up as he sizzled in the fourth quarter while Alarcon provided the spark in the crucial stretch with six clutch points to back Nnoruka, which gave the Fighting Maroons an eight-point lead with three minutes remaining. 

Alarcon sweetened that run with a midrange jumper followed by a three-point play conversion by Gani Stevens and a basket by Reyland Torres to seal the victory.

Nnokura dropped 14 points on a red-hot 6-of-9 shooting from the field while Stevens logged 10 points to lead the Maroons’ scoring parade. Alarcon, for his part, bounced back with seven of his eight points in the final quarter while Yniguez tallied eight markers and a steal.

Luanzon said talent isn’t their only basis for forming a team.

“These guys are here for a reason, and that’s because they offer something to the table beyond their talent,” Luanzon added.