UNIVERSITY of the Philippines is on the verge of reclaiming the UAAP men’s basketball title for a fourth straight season.
The Fighting Maroons though failed close it out in the last two Finals and are hoping to get the job done this time.
UP mounted a fourth-quarter surge to take down defending champion La Salle, 73-65, for a 1-0 series lead on Sunday evening in front of 16,202 fans at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
With the win, UP is now just one game away from its fourth UAAP men’s basketball title, its first since its historic triumph in Season 84 in 2022.
The Fighting Maroons also extended their streak to four consecutive Game 1 victories in the Finals, dating back to an 81-74 win over Ateneo de Manila University in the bubble season.
“Game 1’s won’t win championships. Although ang goal is to always win Game 1, nandito na kami, one game away. We just have to focus kung ano pa need namin i-improve in terms of lapses during the game kanina and try to prepare pa for the next game,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Holding a slim 54-50 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, Quentin Millora-Brown and Aldous Torculas powered UP’s 11-4 start to the period, sending La Salle down an 11-point hole, 65-54, with 5:56 remaining.
Though La Salle closed the gap to 65-61 after back-to-back baskets from Mike Phillips and an inside hit from Lian Ramiro with 1:42 left, a five-point spurt from UP team captain Gerry Abadiano extended the Fighting Maroons’ lead to 70-63 with 40.1 seconds remaining.
A layup from Phillips trimmed the deficit to 70-65 with 36.4 seconds left, but Harold Alarcon and JD Cagulangan sealed the win with three successful free throws, ending UP’s four-game skid against La Salle.
The Fighting Maroons now have the chance to complete their redemption season on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“We know naman that every game we play against La Salle, defense is really key to winning the game. I felt that nung second half, we had more intensity defensively [and] we communicated better. For me, it was a total team effort. Offensively, we moved the ball much better nung second quarter and good thing we sustained it to the second half,” Monteverde added.
Millora-Brown, who missed their second-round encounter with La Salle due to the passing of his grandfather, starred with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, along with nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block.
Cagulangan contributed 13 points, five assists, four rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.
Francis Lopez also scored 13 points to go along with six rebounds, four blocks, two assists, and one steal, while Abadiano ended the day with nine points and eight rebounds.
On the other hand, the Green Archers will aim to force a do-or-die Game 3 in their quest to retain the crown.
After Kevin Quiambao exploded for 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the first half, UP’s defense limited the presumptive back-to-back MVP to just one point on 0-of-6 shooting in the second half. His only point came from a technical free throw at the 5:38 mark of the fourth quarter.
The do-it-all 6-foot-7 forward still contributed 11 rebounds, one assist, and one block but also turned the ball over six times.
Phillips paced the Green Archers with a double-double effort of 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and one steal, while EJ Gollena added 11 points and four rebounds.
CJ Austria chipped in seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and one block in the loss.
The Scores:
UP (73) – Millora-Brown 17, Cagulangan 13, Lopez 13, Abadiano 9, Torculas 7, Bayla 5, Alarcon 4, Torres 3, Fortea 2, Stevens 0, Felicilda 0, Ududo 0.
DLSU (65) – Quiambao 19, Phillips 17, Gollena 11, Austria 7, Ramiro 5, David 2, Agunnane 2, Marasigan 2, Dungo 0, Macalalag 0, Gonzales 0, Rubico 0.
Quarterscores: 11-18, 37-41, 50-54, 73-65.