MANILA – University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons moved closer to sealing a Final Four seat in the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball via an 80-77 win over the National University Bulldogs yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kobe Paras finished with 19 points, six assists, four rebounds, and one block while Jun Manzo came alive in the second half where he poured 12 of his 14 points.
The Fighting Maroons improved to 8-4.
Bright Akhuetie poured 16 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Juan Gomez de Liano also nabbed 11 points, 11 rebounds, and six dimes.
“The expectations are a little higher than that. Parang dapat lang na nandoon tayo,” said Fighting Maroons head coach Bo Perasol. “But we have to count our blessings. We can’t go to the highest point of the competition if we can’t get to the next level.”
The Maroons were already on top 77-70 after a Paras triple with three minutes left but the Bulldogs kept on scraping, cutting the lead down to two, 77-75, with under a minute to play.
The Fighting Maroons were still ahead 80-77 after three free throws by Manzo but the Bulldogs could not send the match into overtime with Shaun Ildefonso misfiring his potential game-tying trey at the buzzer.
In the second game, Far Eastern University Tamaraws sent Adamson Falcons packing in the Final Four race with a 63-60 squeaker.
L-Jay Gonzales poured 11 points as the Tamaraws moved up to 7-6./PN
