University of the Philippines took control in the second quarter and never looked back, defeating Far Eastern University in wire-to-wire fashion, 69-58, in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.
With the victory, the Fighting Maroons extended their unbeaten streak to four games, securing the solo lead over their Finals rivals De La Salle Green Archers, who were playing the University of the East Red Warriors at the time of publishing.
All of UP’s wins have come by double digits, including a 27-point drubbing of National University, a 16-point triumph over Ateneo de Manila University, and a 10-point victory against UE, for an average winning margin of 16 points.
“One thing that Coach Gold (Monteverde) always reminds the players is yung consistency in a game that should apply to fourth quarters. In many ways this was similar to our game against UE,” said Fighting Maroons assistant coach Christian Luanzon.
UP seized control midway through the second quarter.
Clinging to a slim 24-19 lead, they unleashed a strong 15-3 run powered by Gerry Abadiano, Janjan Felicilda, Francis Lopez, and Quentin Millora-Brown to build a commanding 39-22 advantage at halftime.
The Fighting Maroons extended their lead to as much as 25 points, 69-44, after back-to-back baskets by Denzil Walker and Reyland Torres with four minutes left in the game.
However, they failed to score in the closing minutes as Adam Nakai led FEU on a 14-0 run to end the contest.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Lopez led UP’s balanced offense with 13 points and four rebounds, while one-and-done big man Millora-Brown had his best game of the season, recording 11 points and 13 rebounds.
“We’ve just been trying to get better every day. All of us know we have more to reach for. It’s still early, this is only the fourth game, and we have a lot more to achieve this season,” said the 6-foot-9 power forward, who finished his undergraduate degree at The Citadel.
Felicilda added nine points and three assists, while JD Cagulangan contributed seven points, five assists, and four rebounds for the Fighting Maroons.
UP will aim for its fifth consecutive win on Saturday when they take on Adamson University at the same venue in Pasay.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
On the other hand, Nakai, a Filipino-Japanese rookie, finished with 12 points, 10 of which came in the final minutes, as FEU continued to struggle.
The Tamaraws remain winless at 0-4, the last team without a victory in the tournament.
Jorick Bautista added 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, while Veejay Pre chipped in 10 points on 5-of-16 shooting for FEU, whose search for their first win continues on Wednesday against La Salle at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The Scores:
UP 69 – Lopez 13, Millora-Brown 11, Felicilda 9, Cagulangan 7, Alarcon 6, Bayla 6, Torres 4, Alter 4, Abadiano 3, Briones 2, Walker 2, Udodo 2, Fortea 0, Belmonte 0, Torculas 0, Stevens 0.
FEU 58 – Nakai 12, Bautista 11, Pre 10, Montemayor 9, Konateh 8, Alforque 6, Pasaol 2, Daa 0, Ona 0, Bagunu 0.
Quarterscores: 19-15, 39-22, 55-37, 69-58
