University of the Philippines continued to flex its depth and frontcourt firepower, dismantling rival De La Salle University, 98-69, to stay unbeaten in the 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup on Monday in San Juan.
With the victory, the Fighting Maroons improved to 5-0 and locked up the No. 1 seed in the UAAP Group ahead of their final elimination-round assignment against Far Eastern University.
UP imposed its will from the opening tip, using its size to dictate the pace on both ends of the floor. The Fighting Maroons stormed to a 9-2 start before widening the gap to 40-23 late in the second quarter, setting the tone for a one-sided affair.
Holding a comfortable 48-33 lead at halftime, UP left no room for a comeback in the third period. Behind the combined efforts of Veejay Pre, Francis Nnoruka, and Chicco Briones, the Fighting Maroons unleashed a decisive run that ballooned the advantage to 77-44 with just over a minute remaining in the quarter.
La Salle never recovered as UP dominated the interior throughout the contest. The team outscored the Green Archers 64-24 in points in the paint while also owning a commanding 50-33 advantage on the boards.
Assistant coach Christian Luanzon credited the team’s size but emphasized that capitalizing on that advantage remains the players’ responsibility.
“Definitely. But it’s still up to them to take advantage,” said Luanzon when asked if UP’s size would be its biggest weapon moving forward. “Today, ang laki ng bagay ng first half, because we set the tone.”
Nnoruka paced the Fighting Maroons with 16 points and four rebounds, while Briones finished with 14 points behind three triples. Pre added 13 points and six rebounds, and the backcourt duo of Rey Remogat and Joaquin Tovera combined for 13 points and 11 assists.
The loss snapped La Salle’s four-game winning streak, dropping the Green Archers to 4-3 while remaining in third place in the UAAP Group behind 5-1 National University.
Jacob Cortez led the Taft-based squad with 20 points and nine rebounds.
In the NCAA Group, Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Mapúa University strengthened their bids for the top seed with separate victories.
Letran turned back San Beda University, 67-63, behind another standout performance from Titing Manalili, who finished with 20 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Kevin Santos provided solid support with 13 points and five rebounds as the Knights improved to 7-1.
Mapúa matched Letran’s record after defeating the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 67-58.
Lance Nitura starred against his former high school, tallying 20 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Yam Concepcion added 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
The Cardinals climbed into a three-way tie for first place in the NCAA standings alongside Letran and Jose Rizal University.
San Beda slipped to 6-2 and fell out of contention for the No. 1 seed despite 12 points from Dominic Sarigumba and 11 points each from Zed Etulle and RC Calimag.
Perpetual dropped to 3-5, with Mark Gojo Cruz providing its lone double-digit output after finishing with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
The Scores:
First Game:
Mapua 67 – Nitura L 20, Concepcion 12, Nitura C 8, Diaz 6, Igliane 5, Liwanag 5, Cuenco 4, Pascual 4, Reyes 2, Lazarte 1, Ryan 0, Lloren 0
Perpetual Help 58 – Gojo Cruz 10, Maglupay 8, Casinillo 7, Orgo 6, Caugiran 6, Cristino 4, Duremdes 4, Gelsano 3, Pagulayan 3, Danag 3, Borja 2, Tulabut 2, Roluna 0, Montemayor 0, Baldoria 0
Quarterscores: 13-16, 35-33, 57-51, 67-58.
Second Game:
Letran 67 – Manalili 20, Santos 13, Estrada 10, Gammad 8, Cargo 6, Hugo 5, Montecillo 5, Buensalida 0, Silorio 0, Sena 0, Villanueva 0, Tapenio 0
San Beda 63 – Sarigumba 12, Calimag RC 11, Etulle 11, Ugaddan 9, Calimag Ri 6, Songcuya 6, Efron 4, Dabao 2, Culdora 2, Bonzalida 0, Jamora 0, Jalbuena 0
Quarterscores: 21-20, 37-36, 52-49, 67-63.
Third Game:
UP 98 – Nnoruka 16, Briones 14, Pre 13, Alter 9, Stevens 9, Remogat 7, Tovera 6, Bayla 5, Poyos 5, Ogana 4, Dimaculangan 3, Yniguez 3, Coronel 2, Franco 2, Palanca 0, Tan 0
DLSU 69 – Cortez 20, Macalalag 9, Cibull 9, Pablo 8, Marasigan 7, Dungo 4, Amos 4, Gagate 3, Daep 3, Abadam 2, Sharma 0, Quines 0, Melencio 0
Quarterscores: 24-15, 48-33, 81-49, 98-69.
