No way but UP: Fighting Maroons bring down Green Archers
REY Remogat shoots his way to 20 points in University of the Philippines’ 80-76 win over defending champion La Salle on Sunday in Season 89 UAAP basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.
PHOTOGRAPH by Joey sanchez Mendoza for daily tribune @tribunephl_joey
Games on Wednesday:
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
3 p.m. — UST vs FEU
5:30 p.m. — Adamson vs UP
University of the Philippines (UP) survived a furious late scare from defending champion De La Salle University, 80-76, to halt a two-game slide in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Staying true to its storied rivalry, the rematch of last year’s finals was another nail-biter despite the Fighting Maroons controlling most of the game.
UP fired back with an 8-3 closing run after the Green Archers erased a 16-point deficit for its third win in five games while snapping La Salle’s back-to-back winning streak.
Rey Remogat finished with 20 points, Veejay Pre added 19 and seven rebounds while Elliot Dimaculangan chipped in 11 for the Fighting Maroons.
UP controlled the game early and established a comfortable cushion, 42-26, with 39 seconds left in the first half.
La Salle patiently chipped away at the Fighting Maroons’ lead in the second half before Jacob Cortez swished in a stepback three-pointer for the Green Archers’ first taste of the lead, 73-72, with 2:43 remaining.
UP answered with seven straight points, with James Payosing sinking two foul shots for a 79-73 lead in the last 21 seconds. The Green Archers stopped the bleeding after Luis Pablo converted a three-point play with 16.6 ticks left.
Remogat’s split from the line with 5.9 seconds remaining turned it into a two-possession advantage as the Fighting Maroons secured the win.
JC Macalalag had 17 points, Pablo scored 14 while Doy Dungo and Cortez got 12 and 10, respectively, for La Salle, which dropped to a 3-3 card tied with Ateneo de Manila University.
Earlier, Adamson University flirted with disaster in a third-quarter meltdown before rediscovering its touch in the final period to repulse winless University of the East (UE), 71-64.
The Falcons got back on the winning track with a 3-2 win-loss record but not after some anxious moments in the second half, where they saw their 22-point lead cut to a single digit.
“We weren’t really surprised with how UE played in the second half because I always remind my players that UE is also due for a win. They’ve been playing a lot better the last three games… So, I’m really challenging our players to do a lot better,” Adamson head coach Nash Racela said.
It was a horrid third period for Adamson after establishing a 54-32 advantage entering the halftime break.
After a 30-point second quarter, the Falcons scored only three points in the third period.
Adamson went scoreless for the first five minutes before Ray Torres punched a basket with 4:51 left in the third quarter.
The Falcons would not convert another field goal the rest of the period. Kenji Canete contributed a split from the foul line with over a minute left for team’s only other point in the quarter, where UE had a 17-point output.
Adamson was barely clinging to an eight-point lead entering the payoff period.
Fortunately, the Falcons strung together six straight points in the first minute of the fourth and restored some breathing room, 63-49.
The Red Warriors could only get within seven points the rest of the way as they suffered their sixth straight defeat and 26th consecutive overall dating back to Season 87 in 2024.
“I think we played really, really soft in the third… I just stepped back. I didn’t coach them in the fourth quarter. They know what to do and they responded positively,” Racela added.
Torres finished with 17 points, three rebounds, and three assists to lead Adamson, which has yet to score back-to-back wins this season.
Nigerian big man Precious Jonah added 14 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and one block, Matt Erolon got 12 points, all in the first half, while Earl Medina contributed 11 on a perfect three-of-three shooting clip from beyond the arc for the Falcons.
Despite UE’s continued struggles, sophomore Tope Lagat remained impressive, posting 22 points, four rebounds, two steals, and one block. DJ Robles added 12 points.
However, another UE loss would match the league’s second-longest losing skid of 27 games, set by the University of the Philippines from Seasons 75 to 77 (2012 to 2014).
But the Red Warriors will have another tough opponent to close out the first round when they take on last year’s runners-up Fighting Maroons on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.