The University of the Philippines Men’s Basketball Team concluded their debut campaign at the 2025 World University Basketball Series (WUBS) with back-to-back losses that eliminated them from achieving their title contention, but nonetheless allowed them to showcase their talents on the international stage.
Despite the team’s struggle in their WUBS 2025 campaign, the team is determined to keep their head in the game and focus on the upcoming UAAP Season 88, as shared by Terrence Fortea in an exclusive interview with UP Fight Club.
“Sabi naman ng coaches sa amin na lahat ng nilalaro namin sa off-season, kailangan dalhin namin yun para sa [UAAP] season. Positive pa ‘rin kami ngayon na makuha yung pinaka game namin — yung game namin as a team and as an individual,” Fortea said regarding their performance in WUBS as preparation heading into the UAAP.
UP opened their stint on August 9 at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo, facing off against Korea University – last year’s WUBS runners-up.
Despite a slow start, the Fighting Maroons mounted a strong comeback after trailing by as much as 15 points early in the game, 4-19.
Anchored by center Francis Nnoruka’s all-around performance, Terrence Fortea’s sharp shooting, and Gani Stevens’ rebounding, State U managed to cut the deficit.
Photo by: Tobias Memmott, WUBS 2025
Heading into the final quarter, UP was still trailing by 12, 48-60, and instead focused on their defense and shooting. Eventually, an explosive triple from Chicco Briones put the teams at an equal, 65-65, and gave the Maroons the drive they needed to continue their fight.
However, Korea’s Yu Hyeon-Moon delivered a clutch three-pointer in the final seconds, sealing a narrow 75-71 win and ending UP’s hopes of advancing to the finals.
In an exclusive interview with Fortea, he lamented the team’s slow start and falling short during the end of the game.
“Siguro yung takeaway dito evident naman sa game, so kailangan namin magstart nang maayos. Nakita niyo naman nung first quarter, yung lamang nila, and kung paano namin i-finish yung game.”
Last year’s runners-up, Korea University, went on their redemption run as they claimed the WUBS 2025 championship, dethroning the reigning champions and UP’s UAAP rival, the De La Salle University Green Archers.
With the loss, the UP Men’s Basketball Team dropped into the classification bracket, where they met the University of Sydney on August 10.
While they opened with better rhythm compared to their first outing, UP struggled and missed a majority of their three-pointers, only shooting 6 out of their 37 attempts – four of which came from Fortea and two from Rey Remogat. This later on proved to be detrimental to their gameplay.
Photo by: Tobias Memmott, WUBS 2025
UP trailed by four after the first quarter, 21-25, and six at the half, 42-48. But fell behind by 14 at the end of the third quarter, 57-71, and eventually could not catch up as Sydney maintained and built on their lead until the end, winning by a staggering 19 points, 96-77.
Despite Fortea’s 18 points and Nnoruka’s 10 markers and nine rebounds, the Maroons were unable to catch up to Sydney. Sydney maintained a solid double-digit lead for the latter half of the game and eventually handed UP their second straight defeat.
The loss marked a winless campaign for the Fighting Maroons in their debut appearance at the high-level international tournament.
To cap off the tournament, Chicco Briones participated in the three-point championship on August 11, where he garnered seven points and finished sixth.
Photo by: Tobias Memmott, WUBS 2025
