University of the East continued its surge in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament, coming back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Ateneo de Manila University, 69-62, on Wednesday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
After losing their first two games, the Red Warriors have now won four straight, including impressive victories against the De La Salle University Green Archers and the National University Bulldogs.
With a 4-2 record, UE currently sits in solo third place in the standings.
This win also marked UE’s first victory against Ateneo in nine years.
The last time the Red Warriors defeated the Blue Eagles was on November 14, 2015, during the second round of Season 78, when they secured a 74-69 win.
Wednesday’s triumph ended a 14-game losing streak to Ateneo.
“Chinallenge ko lang ‘yung mga players ko last practice kasi again, nasira na naman ‘yung aming rotation kasi one of our players got injured again. It’s Ethan Galang suffering right now from a knee problem,” shared UE head coach Jack Santiago.
He further explained, “Na-challenge lang sa’kin ‘yung mga bata kasi most players coming off the bench, they need to step up and fill the spot of Ethan Galang.
“I’m so happy with the boys. They responded very well.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Down 37-47 early in the fourth quarter, Wello Lingolingo, Rainer Maga, Precious Momowei, and Devin Fikes spearheaded a massive 25-7 run to give the Red Warriors a commanding 62-54 lead with just 1:44 remaining.
That pivotal run was highlighted by 11 straight points from UE – including back-to-back three-pointers by Maga, followed by another triple from Fikes, and capped by a layup from Momowei.
Nigerian center Precious Momowei played the entire game, contributing 18 points, 15 rebounds, three steals, one block, and one assist.
However, he also committed seven turnovers.
Lingolingo added 13 points, hitting three three-pointers, while Maga chipped in eight points, six of which came during the game-changing run.
UE will aim to extend its winning streak to five games when they face Adamson University on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
On the other hand, Ateneo struggled to keep up and now holds a 1-5 record, tied with National University and Far Eastern University at the bottom of the standings.
Joshua Lazaro led the Blue Eagles with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Shawn Tuano added another 14 points.
Rookie Jared Bahay also contributed 12 points and six assists.
Ateneo hopes to end the first round on a high note when they take on National University on Saturday, also at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Scores:
UE 69 – Momowei 18, Lingolingo 13, Abate 9, Maga 8, J. Cruz-Dumont 8, Fikes 7, Mulingtapang 4, Wilson 2, H. Cruz-Dumont 0.
Ateneo 62 – Tuano 14, Bahay 12, Lazaro 14, Bongo 7, Balogun 6, Porter 6, Espinosa 2, Koon 1, Quitevis 0, Espina 0, Gamber 0.
Quarterscores: 16-15, 30-26, 37-45, 69-62.
