The UP Fighting Maroons are making a habit out of second-half explosions. The Fighting Maroons overpowered the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 94-75, in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, extending their winning streak against their rivals to seven straight and improving to 2-0 on the young season.
The formula looked familiar. Much like their 92-85 opening-day win over UST, where a decisive third quarter turned the tide, UP again used the third frame to separate from Ateneo, outscoring the Blue Eagles 20-10 in the period to build a 66-55 lead.
“It was a good team win. We knew bago kami pumunta sa game na ito, it’s not gonna be easy against Ateneo. Nag-respond well ‘yung team especially sa defensive end, playing as a team,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
UP, Ateneo in Tight First Half
The first half offered no hint of what was coming. The two sides traded seven ties and seven lead changes in a tightly contested opening two quarters. Everything changed once the third quarter began. UP’s defense clamped down hard, holding Ateneo to just 30 points on 9-of-32 shooting for the rest of the game while the Fighting Maroons themselves scored 48 points on 15-of-33 shooting over that same stretch.
James Payosing, the former NCAA champion out of San Beda, led UP with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in his first UAAP season. “Bilang first season ko po dito sa UAAP, ini-embrace ko lang ‘yung mga games saka opportunity na kapag naglalaro ako, I’ll just be a star player sa role ko,” Payosing said.
Solid Performances All Around
Veejay Pre added 14 points, nine of them coming in the fourth quarter alone, to go with 9 rebounds. Nigerian big man Francis Nnoruka posted a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Gani Stevens came just short of one himself with nine points and 12 rebounds. Noy Remogat chipped in 14 points, three assists, and two steals despite a rough shooting night, going just 5-of-14 from the field.
Jared Bahay led Ateneo with 17 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while rookie Kieffer Alas added 13 points, 10 of which came in the first half before Ateneo’s offense dried up entirely after the break. The loss dropped the Blue Eagles to 1-1, part of a four-way logjam in the standings.
UP heads into its next matchup against the NU Bulldogs next Saturday at 6 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Ateneo plays earlier that day, facing the Adamson Soaring Falcons at 12 p.m. at the same venue.
