University of the Philippines had to scratch and claw its way to the finish line to outlast Far Eastern University, 69-66, and notch its fourth straight win in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Tamaraws had multiple chances to tie the game in the final 19 seconds, but Jorick Bautista missed two three-point attempts. Kirby Mongcopa, down by three points with less than five seconds left, then opted to pass the ball inside to Mo Konateh, who failed to control it.
“As we always say, the UAAP is composed of teams that you cannot take for granted, whether it’s teams above, below, or the same as us. Considering the limited amount of games, you can expect every game to be like a dogfight — and FEU certainly, as expected, brought that out tonight,” said UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon after a tightly-contested match where no team led by more than six points.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
The Fighting Maroons continued their rise from a 0-2 start, tying the Ateneo Blue Eagles at 4-2 — a huge momentum boost heading into their Finals rematch with the De La Salle Green Archers next Sunday.
Harold Alarcon and Gani Stevens once again spearheaded UP’s charge. Alarcon led the Fighting Maroons with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals in 24 minutes, while Stevens tallied 14 points and nine rebounds.
With UP clinging to a 67-62 lead in the final three minutes, FEU’s trusted backcourt tandem of Janrey Pasaol and Bautista drilled back-to-back baskets to trim the deficit to just a point, 66-67, with 2:07 left.
Stevens then responded with a clutch basket with 1:45 remaining to restore a three-point cushion for the Fighting Maroons — a lead that held firm as UP’s defense stood tall and the Tamaraws ran out of luck.
“I’m just happy with how we improved throughout the season, but like our coaches said, we just have to keep our foot on the gas. Every team is gonna give us their best fight and we just got to come prepared,” said Stevens, who finished with 14 points and nine boards.
Reyland Torres also chipped in 12 points, while Rey Remogat and Jacob Bayla added eight apiece — timely support for the Fighting Maroons, who saw Nigerian center Francis Nnoruka held scoreless after his breakout 28-point, nine-rebound showing against Ateneo.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Meanwhile, FEU fell to 1-4, slipping to seventh place in the standings.
The Tamaraws will try to regain their footing on Wednesday against the University of Santo Tomas at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Bautista led FEU with 18 points and five rebounds, while Konateh posted a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards. Pasaol added 11 points, three rebounds, and three steals.
Mongcopa contributed eight points, seven rebounds, and four assists but committed four turnovers.
The Scores:
UP (69) – Alarcon 15, Stevens 14, Torres 12, Remogat 8, Bayla 8, Fortea 4, Abadiano 3, Belmonte 2, Yniguez 2, Nnrouka 1, Alter 0, Palanca 0, Briones 0.
FEU (66) – Bautista 18, Konateh 16, Pasaol 11, Mongcopa 8, Owens 7, Daa 2, Felipe 2, Salangsang 2, Jones 0, Montemayor 0, Macapagal 0, Ona 0.
Quarterscores: 16-14, 38-36, 55-52, 69-66.
