Harold Alarcon erupted in a career-high performance to lead University of the Philippines past struggling University of the East, 77-67, and into the Final Four of the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament with momentum on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Scoring a scorching 33 points, Alarcon fueled UP’s back-to-back wins to close the eliminations as the second seed with an 11-3 record, just shy of their 12-2 campaign last season.
His output tied the season-best mark set by reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao of De La Salle University last October 26 against Ateneo.
“Siguro tsamba lang ‘yon. Parang yung defense, pag binibigay sakin na ganon na free at libre, kinukuha ko naman. Pag nakikita ko na nasshoot, tinatry ko pa rin at baka mashoot ulit. Buti nasshoot ulit mga tira ko,” the 22-year-old guard from Silay City said.
The Red Warriors’ hopes of securing a Final Four spot outright were dashed as they absorbed their fifth straight loss, falling to a 6-8 record.
Despite their struggles, UE still has a slim chance to force a playoff for the fourth seed if Ateneo defeats Adamson University on Saturday.
UE briefly narrowed the gap to 59-57 with 6:42 left after a three-pointer from Jack Cruz-Dumont.
However, UP countered with a decisive run led by Alarcon’s back-to-back triples, a layup from Francis Lopez, and free throws from JD Cagulangan, establishing a commanding 70-60 lead with just over two minutes remaining.
Although Rainer Maga’s late triple provided a glimmer of hope for UE, costly errors and missed opportunities sealed their fate.
Alarcon put the finishing touches on UP’s 11th win with a pair of clutch jumpers in the final minute.
The Fighting Maroons continued their dominance over the Red Warriors, whom they defeated 81-71 in the first round last September 14.
They extended their head-to-head winning streak against UE to 12 games, a streak that began in Season 81.
Coincidentally, the last time that a UP player scored 30 or more points was also in Season 81, when Juan Gomez de Liano fired out 30 points in the Final Four against Adamson.
“Everytime that you enter the Final Four with two straight wins, our confidence should be there. But, as cliche as it sounds, we’re gonna take this one practice at a time. Just like any other loss where in you’re gonna have to move forward and forget about it and learn from your mistakes, same thing for a win,” UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon said.
Quentin Millora-Brown achieved a double-double performance with 16 points and 12 rebounds to go along with two assists and two blocks. Despite being limited to four points on 1-of-11 shooting, Cagulangan still contributed nine assists, five rebounds, and one steal.
Lopez also only tallied four points but grabbed seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.
With a twice-to-beat advantage, UP now turns its attention to its semifinal matchup against the third-seeded University of Santo Tomas, with the schedule yet to be announced.
Jack Cruz-Dumont paced UE in the loss with 14 points, four assists, four steals, and three rebounds, while Momowei tallied a double-double performance with 11 points and 12 rebounds to go along with one assist and one steal in his return after serving a one-game suspension.
Maga also scored 11 points to go along with one assist and one block, while John Abate chipped in eight points, one rebound, and one assist.
The Scores:
UP (77) – Alarcon 33, Millora-Brown 16, Cagulangan 4, Lopez 4, Torres 4, Abadiano 4, Fortea 4, Briones 3, Ududo 2, Torculas 2, Bayla 1, Felicilda 9, Belmonte 0, Stevens 0.
UE (67) – J. Cruz-Dumont 14, Momowei 11, Maga 11, Abate 8, Fikes 7, Lingolingo 6, Go 4, Wilson 3, Galang 3, Mulingtapan 0, H. Cruz-Dumont 0.
