UNIVERSITY of the Philippines withstood a gallant challenge from Arellano to take an 88-82 victory in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup in San Juan.
Carl Tamayo led the way with 26 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block as the Fighting Maroons secured the No. 2 seed in Group A with their 6-2 card.
Malick Diouf also did damage down low with his 21 points, 11 boards, two dimes, and two blocks, as Aldous Torculas had 13 points, seven rebounds, and three steals.
UP, however, had difficulty shaking off a red-hot Arellano which shot 13 treys in the game and even held an 11-point lead, 49-38, early in the third period.
"I think Arellano played very well today. They shot especially well from three-point [land] and gave us trouble especially for our bigs, but we didn't play up to our standards today," said UP assistant coach Mo Gingerich.
Diouf did impose his will down low, sparking a 12-4 run that allowed the Fighting Maroons to take a 72-62 lead with 7:11 to play en route to the toughly contested win.
Axel Doromal drained five treys for his 27 points to lead the Chiefs, who sunk to a 1-6 record.
Shane Menina also made a pair of long bombs for his 19 points, five assists, three boards, and three steals, while Cade Flores had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds in the losing cause.
The scores:
UP 88 -- Tamayo 26, Diouf 21, Torculas 13, Fortea 7, Cagulangan 6, Alarcon 4, Abadiano 4, Calimag 3, Catapusan 2, Eusebio 2, Ramos 0.
ARELLANO 82 -- Doromal 27, Menina 19, Flores 13, Oftana 6, Sunga 6, Valencia 4, Talampas 3, Oliva 2, Mantua 2, Mallari 0, Tolentino 0, Punzalan 0.
Quarters: 22-23, 38-42, 62-58, 88-82.
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