University of the Philippines tamed Far Eastern University, 89-75, to climb to solo second in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion.

The Fighting Maroons set the tone early, erecting a 17-point lead in the second quarter before cruising the rest of the way to improve to a 6-3 win-loss record behind league-leading National University (7-2).

“We really prepared for FEU, and one thing we did well in this game was moving the ball better as a team. Everyone is slowly understanding their role, and I’m really happy to see that we’re improving and growing together," UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde said.

Nigerian center Francis Nnoruka was efficient in his 23 minutes, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Stevens added 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting as UP dominated in the paint, 48-32.

Rey Remogat contributed 12 points and eight assists, while Terrence Fortea added 10 points. Jacob Bayla delivered an all-around performance with eight points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block—all without a turnover.

The Fighting Maroons barely felt the desperate late rally of FEU, bringing their lead back to 14 points after it was trimmed to just eight, 83-75, from a Jorick Bautista floater with 1:22 left.   

Remogat gave the Fighting Maroons its biggest lead after he nailed a trey with under six minutes left in the second period for a 36-19 advantage.

Meanwhile, the Tamaraws saw their two-game winning streak snapped, dropping to 3-6 and seventh place.

Gambian big man Mo Konateh led FEU with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and two assists in a no-relief effort.

Bautista and Kirby Mongcopa added 22 and 14 points, respectively, but Janrey Pasaol was limited to just six points on 3-of-17 shooting. He did record six assists, four rebounds, and two steals, but also committed five turnovers.

Box scores:

UP (89) – Nnoruka 19, Stevens 14, Remogat 12, Fortea 10, Abadiano 9, Bayla 8, Belmonte 5, Alarcon 4, Torres 2, Briones 2, Palanca 2, Alter 2, Yniguez 0.    

FEU (75) – Konateh 24, Bautista 22, Mongcopa 14, Daa 7, Pasaol 6, Owens 2, Felipe 0, Salangsang 0, Montemayor 0, Macapagal 0, Ona 0, Bagunu 0.

Quarter scores: 21-12, 44-31, 65-53, 89-75

###