Kyle Paranada and Rey Remogat starred in overtime as University of the East gave De La Salle University a harder route to the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball Final Four with an 80-72 victory, Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The backcourt duo scored 10 of the 12 Red Warriors points in the extra period. They alone outscored the Green Archers, 10-4.
The Red Warriors finished the season at 5-9 at joint sixth with Far Eastern University.
“I cannot say a special word for this guy (Remogat) beside me. Being a coach ito naman yung pinakamasarap eh na alam mo na sinusunod yung instruction,” said UE coach Jack Santiago.
Mark Nonoy put La Salle on top by four after back-to-back triples in the fourth with 1:25 left.
But Remogat and Paranada buried back-to-back deuces to knot the game at 68 with 29.7 seconds to go.
UE then played the foul game to stall the Green Archers’ offensive flow with five fouls left to give.
Evan Nelle put up La Salle’s only shot in the final 30 seconds of the payoff period but missed badly from deep to send the game to OT.
Remogat ended with 24 points (20 in the second half), four rebounds, and three assists, while Paranada had 13 points.
One-and-done Luis Villegas flirted with a triple-double in his final game with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.
Aside from Villegas, CJ Payawal and Nikko Paranada played their last game in UE jersey.
La Salle, who played without Mike Phillips due to a non-COVID related illness, had Nonoy as its leader with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Bright Nwankwo and CJ Austria chimed in 10 points apiece as well in the loss that saw Nelle (eight points, 2-of-11 from the field) and Kevin Quiambao (seven points, 3-of-11) limited.
The Green Archers slid to 6-7 at fifth but are still alive for post-season contention. However, they could only hope for a playoff game for the final spot.
They should win their match against University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday at 2 pm while hoping that Adamson University will drop its game against Ateneo de Manila University at 4 pm.
The Scores:
UE 80 –– Remogat 24, K. Paranada 13, Stevens 12, Villegas 10, N. Paranada 6, Gilbuena 5, Pagsanjan 4, Sawat 4, Payawal 2, Tulabut 0, Alcantara 0.
La Salle 72 — Nonoy 14, Austria 10, Nwankwo 10, Nelle 8, Cortez 8, Macalalag 8, Quiambao 7, B. Phillips 4, Estacio 3, Abadam 0, Winston 0.
Quarterscores: 16-27, 36-33, 50-51, 68-68, 80-72.
