The UP Fighting Maroons scored their first double-win in the basketball tournament of UAAP’s (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) Season 88 last Sept. 28 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The UP Women’s Basketball Team (UPWBT) won over the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors in overtime, 84-75, while the UP Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) entered the win column as they conquered the UE Red Warriors, 92-75.
Camille Nolasco, Shane Cunanan, and Louna Ozar led the UPWBT to a strong start, holding a six-point lead, 39-33, at the end of the second period.
The UP Fighting Maroons then struggled to score in the third period while the Lady Warriors, led by Moana Vacalares and Rachel Lacayanga, went on a scoring barrage to take the upper hand, 55-47, going into the final quarter of the game.
The UP Fighting Maroons rallied back and engaged the Lady Warriors in basket after basket in the game’s dying minutes. They eventually took the lead, 74-72, on a side jumper by Nolasco with 9.3 seconds left to play. However, UE’s Ivy Yañez scored on a buzzer-beater floater to send the game into overtime (OT).
The two teams went scoreless in the early part of the extra five minutes until Cunanan took charge, scoring eight of UPWBT’s 10 points in OT.
Nolasco paced the UPWBT with 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Cunanan produced 15 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists, while Ozar added 14 points, 10 assists, four rebounds, and three steals.
Meanwhile, the UPMBT bucked their sluggish start in the early goings of the game and turned things around as Rey Remogat and Francis Nnoruka found their rhythm to establish a 53-36 lead at the halftime break.
The UP Fighting Maroons, led by Nnoruka and Gani Stevens’ inside plays, continued to pounce on the Red Warriors’ defense to build a 20-point lead, 74-54, going into the final period.
The UPMBT’s lead ballooned to 28 points, 85-57, on a dunk by Nnoruka at the 6:10 mark of the payoff period. The lead eventually took the game out of the Red Warriors.
Rey Remogat, named the game’s best player, top-scored for the UP Fighting Maroons with 21 points, 11 assists, and two steals. Nnoruka and Stevens both contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Gerry Abadiano chipped in 11 points.
The UP Fighting Maroons’ next game is scheduled on Oct. 4 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion. The UPMBT battles the NU Bulldogs at 4:30 pm. while the UPWBT will take on the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs at 7 p.m.