Maroon five: UP eyes top spot vs winless UE

Games today:

(UST Quadricentennial Pavilion)

2:30 p.m. — UP vs UE

6 p.m. — UST vs Ateneo

Streaking University of the Philippines (UP) gets a chance to reclaim the solo lead when it takes on a luckless University of the East (UE) side to end the first round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 men’s basketball tournament.

The Fighting Maroons are eyeing a third straight win — their fifth overall — Saturday at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Game time is at 2:30 p.m., with UP hoping to wiggle out of a three-way tie on the leaderboard with idle National University and Far Eastern University (FEU), parading identical 4-2 win-loss slates.

The Diliman-based squad has recovered from back-to-back losses with a huge win over defending champion De La Salle University, 80-76, in a rematch of last year’s finals followed by a 69-67 escape over Adamson University last Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Although momentum and advantage in firepower are on UP’s side against the winless Red Warriors, assistant coach Christian Luanzon reminds his players to guard against complacency.

“If there’s one thing we have yet to see from our team, it’s being focused on all four quarters,” Luanzon said.

He doesn’t want a repeat of the Fighting Maroons’ near collapse against the Falcons.

“Right now, we’re playing in spurts. Just like this game, we played very well the first five minutes and led as much as 11 but the next 15 minutes it’s gone. During halftime, Coach Gold (Monteverde) said some nasty things to make them realize their mistakes. (But) what’s important is how they responded,” Luanzon added.

UP has defeated UE 14 straight times since Season 81 (2018). The last time the Fighting Maroons dropped a match against the Red Warriors was back in the second round of Season 80 (2017).

UE is still in search of a solution to end its skid after losing all of its first six matches, including a 64-71 bowing to Adamson last Sunday.

Overall, the Red Warriors are on a 26-game losing slump since Season 87.

Another loss will tie UE with the league’s second-longest losing streak at 27 games, ironically, set by the Fighting Maroons from Seasons 75 to 77 (2012 to 2014).

Meanwhile, UST and Ateneo De Manila University part ways in the standings when they meet at 6 p.m. in the night cap.

The Tigers and Blue Eagles are on a four-way tie in fourth to seventh with even 3-3 slates alongside La Salle and Adamson.

UST is fresh off an 81-69 victory over FEU last Wednesday behind the double-doubles of Mark Llemit and Collins Akowe.

“Hopefully, the UST community will come out to see us and support us because it’s our homecourt. Hopefully, we get a win,” Akowe said.

Ateneo has been struggling in the past two games, losing to the Green Archers, 76-83, before suffering a 70-93 beating at the hands of the Tamaraws last week sans suspended head coach Louie Alas.

The interim mentor will be back after serving a one-game ban due to accumulated technical infractions.