The UP Fighting Maroons Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) has returned to its winning ways.

The UPMBT dominated the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, 77-51, in Season 86 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament on Oct. 25 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

They started slow and got ahead by just six points, 17-11, at the end of the first 10 minutes of the ball game. The good ball distribution, sniping from the three-point area of Francis Lopez, and inside points from Aldous Torculas, slowly pulled the UPMBT away from AdU and gave them a commanding lead, 40-20, at the half-time break.

It was then an all-UP Fighting Maroons show in the second half of the game as they continued their dominance by countering every point the AdU Soaring Falcons made.

It was a total team effort for the UPMBT. Malick Diouf scored 12 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks. Reyland Torres contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Lopez and Harold Alarcon chipped in 11 and nine points, respectively.

Janjan Felicilda stepped up for JD Cagulangan as the latter had to leave the game due to a noncontact injury he sustained in the middle part of the second quarter.

The spitfire Felicilda had an all-around performance, producing seven points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals to earn the best player of the game award.

The UP Fighting Maroons outrebounded the AdU Soaring Falcons, 55-40. They also had the upper hand in the assist department, 22-10, and in bench point production, 47-24.

The UPMBT will take on the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles on Oct. 29, 6 p.m. at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.