MANILA – University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons and Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles are set for a rematch in the UAAP Season 85 men’s seniors basketball championship.
The Fighting Maroons’ quest for back-to-back titles is still alive after a 69-61 win over National University Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In the nightcap, the No.1 ranked Blue Eagles hardly broke a sweat in their return trip to the best-of-three championship series following a wire-to-wire 81-60 victory over Adamson University Falcons.
For the Fighting Maroons, the return trip to the finals did not come easy. They saw their 54-45 lead after three quarters turned to a 58-61 deficit.
But a basket by Ilonggo Gerry Abadiano and a free throw by Terrence Fortea tied the score at 61-all before the Fighting Maroons regained the lead at 63-61 with a fastbreak layup by Abadiano.
Following a miss by the Bulldogs, UP’s Joel Cagulangan added to their advantage with a booming triple with under a minute left before the defending champions wrapped up the win with freebies.
Presumptive MVP winner Maodo Malick Diouf led the way with double-double 17 points and 21 rebounds, while Filipino-American import Zavier Lucero added 12 points and 11 rebounds for UP.
Cyril Gonzales got 11 points, while Cagulangan and Abadiano went for eight and seven points, respectively, for UP, which survived the early exit of star forward Carl Tamayo due to an injury.
“We started out flat. Losing Carl in the first half, he wasn’t 100 percent, the team responded well to the challenge given to us,” said Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde. “We’re happy that we’ll be getting another chance to win the championship.”
Jake Figueroa made 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the third place Bulldogs, while Kean Baclaan produced 10 of his 14 points in the fourth frame, and Michael Malonzo ended with 11 markers.
BOX SCORE:
UP 69 – Diouf 17, Lucero 12, Gonzales 11, Cagulangan 8, Abadiano 7, Fortea 6, Tamayo 6, Alarcon 2, Spencer 0, Galinato 0, Torculas 0.
NU 61 – Figueroa 16, Baclaan 14, Malonzo 11, John 8, Yu 2, Clemente 2, Enriquez 2, Mahinay 2, Minerva 2, Galinato 2, Manansala 0, Palacielo 0, Tibayan 0.
Quarterscores: 17-19, 35-38, 54-45, 69-61./PN
