BASKETBALL
The Captain Leads the Ship, Steers UP Closer to Goal
The Fighting Maroons proved to be too much for the Red Warriors as UP sailed to its 6th win in UAAP Season 82, 78-75. Despite the multiple attempts of UE to snatch the lead, the Maroons stayed on the driver’s seat for most of the game.
Bright Akhuetie led the balanced attack of UP with his 18 points and 14 rebounds. Also scoring in double digits were Jun Manzo (17), Kobe Paras (14), Javi GDL (10) and Ricci Rivero (10). Paras, who promised to work on his shooting after losing to Ateneo in the 1st round, dropped three shots out of his five beyond the arc on Saturday.
The most notable performance came from UP’s team captain Jun Manzo who had his own share of disappointing outings, especially in the previous game against FEU. Manzo shared that he drew confidence from UP MBT alumnus Paul Desiderio who told him to be more patient.
With this victory, UP now sits at solo second. The team will face UST Growling Tigers on Wednesday with the mission to keep that spot. Coach Ricky Dandan, who currently fills in as head coach for the Maroons, said he would like to take every match step-by-step and will only focus on UST right after this win.
