UP cruises to 3-0 behind Belmonte’s career-high over NU

University of the Philippines remains undefeated, extending their streak to 3-0 after demolishing the NU Bulldogs, 89 – 62, in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament, Wednesday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon city.

The first point of the game was made by Jake Figueroa who gave the Bulldogs the first lead at 1-0 with a split free throw attempt, but JD Cagulangan quickly turned the tide with a quick three from the inbound, taking the lead from the NU Bulldogs for the rest of the game.

The Fighting Maroons were aggressive right from the get-go, from their gutsy defense, to their 22 assists, 8 of which came from Cagulangan and Terrence Fortea with 4 apiece, compared to the Bulldogs’ 12. The team was also aided in their campaign by NU’s early foul trouble and turnovers, which resulted in 20 and 14 points respectively. Their lead ballooned to 39, 76-37, after a Harold Alarcon triple in the 3rd quarter.

Mark Belmonte headlined the opening quarter with a one handed slam, and was fierce on defense as well; and that was just a glimpse of his strong showing in that game. Come second quarter, Belmonte took the lead in scoring, adding 8 points to reach double digits, and he never looked back.

The sophomore already knows what it’s like to be named Player of the Game (POG) and to lead his team to victory, as he’s done so before in the preseasons, but this was his first time to do it in the mother league, the UAAP. This was his best game thus far, with his career high of 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and a +/- of +29.

“It’s all about [how] the players [respond]” Coach Christian Luanzon said about how they adjusted after last weekend’s game against the UE Red Warriors, where they went from leading by almost 30 points, to winning by 10. “…They responded in practices pa lang.”

Some ways Belmonte responded, which led to his eventual naming of POG, was by staying focused; finding what the team needed from him, staying ready, and giving it his all from the start, all the way until the final buzzer.

“Ang pangit talaga nung tapos ng game namin nung saturday… inisip lang namin kung pano kami babawi, kung pano kami magiging consistent.” – Mark Belmonte

Another game changer UP had on their side was the return of veteran, and homegrown Maroon, Aldous Torculas, who announced his return with a jam. Despite having sat out an entire month of basketball, Torculas made his presence felt in the arena, providing 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.

UP’s best rebounder was Sean Alter who grabbed 7 boards, and he also had 4 points. Dikachi Ududo provided the second most rebounds with 6, coupled with his 6 points, 1 block and 1 assist. Francis Lopez was third, with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal. Tied with Lopez for having the third most points was Quentin Millora-Brown, who had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, and +17.

On the other side of things, Figueroa led NU’s scoring with 11 points, with Ian Jolo Manansala right behind him with 9 points, the latter also being the Bulldogs’ best rebounder that game, tallying 10 in total. Their late rally, though, wasn’t enough to overcome the Fighting Maroons, thanks to the latter’s early getaway and continuously aggressive defense.

The UP Fighting Maroons (3-0) are looking to extend their streak against the FEU Tamaraws (0-3) who are hungry to get their first win, coming off of heartbreaking losses. Their match is on Sunday, 4:30 PM, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Meanwhile, both the NU Bulldogs (1-2) and the UST Growling Tigers (2-1) are aiming to bounce back when they face on Saturday, September 21, 4:30PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

The scores:
UP 89 – Belmonte 14, Cagulangan 13, Lopez 8, Millora-Brown 8, Abadiano 7, Ududo 6, Torculas 6, Felicilda 6, Fortea 5, Bayla 4, Alter 4, Alarcon 3, Briones 3, Torres 2, Stevens 0, Walker 0.

NU 62 – Figueroa 11, Manansala 9, Jumamoy 6, Garcia 6, Enriquez 5, Yu 5, Tulabut 4, Francisco 4, Santiago 4, Perciano 4, Padrones 2, Palacielo 2, Dela Cruz 0, Lim 0, Parks 0.

Quarter scores: 14-29, 12-24, 15-23, 21-13

This UP Fighting Maroons Club post is in partnership with Jiang Nan Hotpot.