It’s another double-double win for the UP Fighting Maroons in Season 87 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) basketball tournament.
The UP Women’s Basketball Team (UPWBT) slips past the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, 82-77, while the UP Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) had wire-to-wire victory against the FEU Tamaraws, 69-58. Both games were played on Sept. 22 at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena.
UPMBT now has a 4-0 win-loss record and is at the top of the team standings, while the UPWBT has a 2-2 record.
It was a seesaw battle between the UPWBT and Lady Tamaraws all throughout the game. With less than four minutes left in the final period and the UP Fighting Maroons up by four points, 75-71, UE’s Shane Salvani scored two consecutive baskets to even the score.
UPWBT’s Achrissa Maw then made two free throws and a layup while Christie Bariquit scored a free throw, giving the UP Fighting Maroons the separation they needed, 80-75, from the Lady Warriors, still with 15.9 seconds remaining in the game.
In the ensuing plays, UE’s MJ Manguiat converted two free throws to trim down UPWBT’s lead to three, 80-77. Kye Pesquera of the UPWBT was then sent to the free throw line on a duty foul that Manguiat committed. Pesquera calmly sank her two free throws to seal the win for the UP Fighting Maroons.
Maw paced the UPWBT with 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Louna Ozar also played well for the UPWBT scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Meanwhile, the UPMBT had a slow start and had a slim four-point advantage, 19-15, at the end of the first period. Quentin Millora-Brown, Francis Lopez, and Janjan Felicilda then took charge of the scoring as the UP Fighting Maroons slowly pulled away to extend their lead, 39-22, at the halftime break.
It was all then a UP Fighting Maroons show in the second half. They were able to establish their biggest lead, 69-74, off a Reyland Torres layup with a little less than four minutes left in the ball game. The Tamaraws refused to go down without a fight as Adam Nakai, Veejay Pre, and Mohamed Konateh uncorked a 14-0 blast. Their effort however was not enough to make a difference as the final buzzer sounded.
Lopez led the UP Fighting Maroons with 13 points and four rebounds, while Millora-Brown had double-double output, scoring 11 points and hauling down 13 rebounds. Felicilda contributed nine points and three assists.
UPWBT and UPMBT will play against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons on Sept. 28, 11:30 a.m. and the AdU Soaring Falcons on Sept. 28 4:30 p.m., respectively. Both games will be at the MOA Arena.
