University of the Philippines secured its spot in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Final Four by holding off Adamson University with a strong finish, 70-59, Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Fighting Maroons joined last season’s Finals rival, the De La Salle Green Archers, in the semifinals, raising their record to 8-1 and claiming solo second place.
This victory marked UP’s sixth consecutive trip to the Final Four, dating back to Season 81 (2018).
“This was a clinching semifinal game, so you know, it’s something that we’re going to celebrate tonight, so to speak. But at the same time, the goal is the big picture – getting to the finals and giving ourselves an opportunity for that,” said Fighting Maroons assistant coach Christian Luanzon.
“For Coach Gold, this is something he’s been doing since he started coaching. For him, it’s more than just the results; it’s all about the improvement of the team. Even after this win, we still need to improve,” added Luanzon.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
AJ Fransman’s floater and Jhon Calisay’s three-pointer at the 3:48 mark of the fourth quarter pulled the Soaring Falcons within one point, 57-58.
However, the Fighting Maroons responded decisively, as Mark Belmonte, Gerry Abadiano, and Quentin Millora-Brown combined for 12 straight points.
They capped off the run with a one-handed dunk from Millora-Brown with 52.4 seconds left, extending the lead to 70-57.
“Obviously it’s my first year, and that year off was definitely hard not playing in the UAAP, so I just tried to find that rhythm I had,” said Gani Stevens, who rose to the occasion with 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting after scoring only four points in the first eight games.
He added, “It’s nice to finally see the results – I’ve been working hard these past two weeks, really focusing on our defense and execution, and seeing that translate to games.”
JD Cagulangan led UP with 17 points on a 7-of-11 shooting performance, along with three rebounds and two steals, despite committing five turnovers.
Terrence Fortea and Belmonte also contributed nine points each in the victory for the Fighting Maroons, who played without Harold Alarcon, who is recovering from a muscle strain.
Adamson’s struggles continued as they suffered their fifth straight loss, dropping to 3-7 and tying for sixth place with the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
This was another disappointing loss for the Falcons against UP, having previously led by 22 points in their first-round encounter before ultimately losing 69-57.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Mathew Montebon led the Falcons with 14 points and five rebounds but contributed to his team’s 28 turnovers with six of his own.
Fransman added 13 points and five rebounds, while Cedrick Manzano chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds.
UP looks to continue this momentum on Wednesday against Ateneo at the same Pasay venue at 6:30 PM. Earlier that day, Adamson will face University of the East at 2:00 PM.
The Scores:
UP 70 – Cagulangan 17, Stevens 10, Fortea 9, Belmonte 9, Abadiano 7, Torres 4, Millora-Brown 4, Bayla 3, Ududo 3, Lopez 2, Felicilda 2, Alter 0, Torculas 0.
ADU 59 – Montebon 14, Fransman 13, Manzano 12, Yerro 6, Mantua 5, Ojarikre 4, Calisay 3, Ignacio 2, Alexander 0, Anabo 0, Ronzone 0.
Quarterscores: 17-20, 38-31, 55-48, 70-59
