UP MBT overpowers UE to take the early lead

The University of the Philippines dominated the University of the East, 81-71, in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball Tournament to mark their second consecutive win of the season on September 14, Saturday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. 

This triumph comes a week after UP successfully went up against the Ateneo Blue Eagles last September 7, continuing a strong start to their redemption campaign.

The Maroons built a commanding lead early on, scoring 25-13 in the first quarter, all while controlling the pace with their aggressive offense and relentless defense.

UP already led by 19 points, 48-29, at halftime and furthermore increased that lead to a game-high of 69-42, a staggering 27 point gap in the third quarter, concluding with Francis Lopez’s explosive slam dunk.

UE mounted a furious rally to get within 10 points behind UP with 1:37 left in the fourth quarter, but their efforts were not enough as the time winded down until the final buzzer.

Quentin Millora-Brown sealed the win with critical free throws in the final minutes, ensuring that the Fighting Maroons stayed ahead of the game.

State U’s victory was helmed by JD Cagulangan’s 21 points (including ⅚ triples), seven rebounds, and four assists that ultimately hailed him as the back-to-back Player of the Game with his offensive plays and defensive pressure that kept UE falling behind.

While Mark Belmonte and Harold Alarcon, who each scored nine points, and Francis Lopez, Jacob Bayla, and Dikachi Ududo, who added seven points apiece, helped bring the victory to Diliman.

Former UE player Gani Stevens played 16 minutes and garnered 2 points and 3 rebounds in his first game against his former team.

Despite shooting just 11/27 (40.6%) on free throws, UP managed to maintain the lead through their defensive prowess by forcing UE to commit 17 turnovers, which were converted to 22 points. 

Amid UE’s efforts to close the gap, including a strong 20-point and 13-rebound performance from FSA Precious Momowei, the team struggled to find consistency in their gameplay.

The UP Fighting Maroons look to continue their winning streak as they face the NU Bulldogs who recently secured their first win against the FEU Tamaraws, on September 18, Wednesday, 6:30 PM, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

While both the UE Red Warriors and the FEU Tamaraws are looking to pick up their first win of the season at 4:30 PM in the first game of the men’s basketball double header on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

UP 81 – Cagulangan 21, Belmonte 9, Alarcon 9, Lopez 7, Bayla 7, Ududo 7, Abadiano 6, Fortea 5, Millora-Brown 5, Stevens 2, Briones 2, Torres 1, Walker 0, Alter 0

UE 71 – Momowei 20, Lingolingo 11, Mulingtapang 9, Maga 9, Abate 6, Wilson 6, Fikes 6, Galang 2, J. Cruz-Dumont 0, H. Cruz-Dumont 0, Malaga 0

UP MBT Quarter Scores: 25-13, 48-29, 69-49, 81-71

Points off Turnovers: UP – 22, UE – 8

Assists: UP – 22, UE – 9

Perimeter Points: UP – 32 (12/31) 38.7, UE – 19 (7/29) 24.1

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