The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons will have the twice-to-beat advantage as they face the resurging University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers in the semifinals of the ongoing UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.
The Fighting Maroons and the Growling Tigers will face each other on Saturday, November 30, at 3:30 p.m. The Fighting Maroons only need one win to make a return trip to the finals, while the Growling Tigers need to defeat the Fighting Maroons twice.
At the end of the elimination round, the University of the Philippines had 11 wins and three losses, while the University of Santo Tomas had a 7-7 win-loss record.
The Fighting Maroons lost their elimination games against the defending champions, the De La Salle University Green Archers, and their second-round matchup against the National University Bulldogs.
The Growling Tigers lost all their elimination matches against the Green Archers and Fighting Maroons. They also lost one elimination game against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, and the National University Bulldogs.
Before the semifinal game between the Fighting Maroons and the Growling Tiger, look at their head-to-head matchup in the elimination round.
Fighting Maroons vs Growling Tigers: Round 1 – UP Secures the Win
In their first-round matchup, the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers kept the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons within striking distance in the first three quarters of the game. At the start of the fourth quarter, Growling Tiger Christian Manaytay’s basket trimmed the deficit to three, 65-68.
Unfortunately for them, Fighting Maroons Francis Lopez and Harold Alarcon woke up at the right time to push UP’s lead to double digits as they unleashed an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter, 79-65.
Mythical Five member Nic Cabañero of UST tried to stop the bleeding, but the lead was too large to overcome, resulting in a 70-81 loss. Despite this, the Fighting Maroons were missing another Mythical Five awardee, JD Cagulangan, who was sidelined due to illness.
Alarcon led the Fighting Maroons with 16 points while Lopez contributed 15 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.
For the side of the University of Santo Tomas, big man Mo Tounkara had 21 points and five rounds while Cabañero added 15 points. Point guard Forthsky Padrigao recorded 14 points, six rebounds, and seven assists but he got seven turnovers.
Fighting Maroons vs Growling Tigers: Round 2 – UP Sweeps the Series
In the second round of eliminations, JD Cagulangan made his return to the court as they repeated their round-one victory against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 83-73.
The Growling Tigers were leading in the third quarter, 65-61, but the Fighting Maroons banked on their veterans to quickly turn the game around. The University of the Philippines held defense in the fourth quarter to limit the University of Santo Tomas to just 11 points.
Francis Lopez led the Fighting Maroons in sweeping the Growling Tigers with 20 points, six rebounds, and two assists while Terence Fortea had 16 points in four-of-out-five attempts in the three-point line.
Harold Alarcon contributed 11 points, two rebounds, and two assists while Quentin Millora-Brown chimed in 10 points, five boards, and five blocks.
For the Growling Tigers, big man Mo Tounkara lost his steam in the fourth quarter as he tallied 24 points and nine rebounds. Nic Cabañero garnered 17 points and nine boards while Christian Manaytay had 12 points and two rebounds.
Fourthsky Padrigao’s dismal five points proved to be the difference in their loss against the Fighting Maroons.
Semifinals Prediction: Can UST Bounce Back?
Now that they are facing each other again in the semifinals, the stars need to align if the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers want to extend the series in the do-or-die match. If that does not happen, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons will most likely make a return trip to the finals for the fourth straight time.
