The UP Fighting Maroons held off the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 82-70, in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
UP shook off a slow start and took control with a 13-3 run in the second quarter to lead 45-31 at halftime. The Fighting Maroons kept their double-digit lead through the third, but Adamson pushed back in the fourth as triples from Matt Erolon and Earl Medina cut the deficit to eight, 67-75.
Adamson’s comeback stalled when Erolon went down with cramps with 4:40 remaining. Veejay Pre answered with a jumper, and Rey Remogat delivered the dagger from beyond the arc with 2:20 left. With Erolon still on the bench, Remogat added a scoop layup with 1:34 remaining to put the game away.
“Well, si Noy, he’s never afraid of the limelight. ‘Yung fight na meron siya, hindi lang sa basketball, and I think nagta-translate siya sa loob ng court. Second nature na sa kanya,” said UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon.
James Payosing led the Fighting Maroons with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Remogat added 12 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Dikachi Ududo posted a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Elliot Dimaculangan chipped in 11 points and 3 rebounds.Ffffff
For Adamson, Erolon finished with 20 points. Mathew Montebon had 13 points and 4 rebounds, while Mat Edding and Ray Allen Torres contributed 10 points each.
FEU Fends Off UE
Earlier that day, the FEU Tamaraws fended off the UE Red Warriors, 94-83.
FEU led 49-41 at halftime and stayed in double digits for most of the third quarter. UE then made its push behind Jadden Datumalim and Lance Sabroso, cutting the deficit to five, 58-63, with 1:59 left in the period.
The Tamaraws answered right away. Mo Konateh, Jorick Bautista, and Elias Gish combined for 8 unanswered points to close the quarter and restore a 71-58 lead. Toper Lagat’s jumper with 8:40 left cut the deficit to single digits, 62-71, but UE never got closer as FEU held on.
“We’re happy where we’re at compared to last year,” said FEU head coach Sean Chambers. “I told the guys in practice yesterday we should be very happy that we put ourselves in a situation that we get to control our own destiny.”
Bautista led the Tamaraws with 18 points and 4 rebounds. Konateh posted a double-double of 15 points and 19 rebounds, Kirby Mongcopa added 15 points and 7 rebounds, and rookie Gish chipped in 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
For UE, Lagat finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block. Sabroso had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while Ola Ajani and Cole Cruz-Dumont contributed 11 points each.
UP will next face the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday, November 7, at 6:00 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Earlier that day at 2:30 p.m., Adamson will face UE.
Meanwhile, FEU will next face the UST Growling Tigers on Sunday, November 8, at 5:00 p.m. at the same venue.
