IF it ain't broke, don't fix it.
That's exactly what the University of the Philippines did, once again clamping down on University of Santo Tomas to take the 83-73 conquest on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Defense did the trick anew for the Fighting Maroons, holding the Growling Tigers to just 11 in the payoff period, as they ran away with a telling 16-2 tear punctuated by a pair of freebies from JD Cagulangan to make it a 77-67 affair with 4:09 left.
Francis Lopez led UP with 20 points, six rebounds, and two assists, as Terrence Fortea capped off the triumph with a booming three with 39.6 seconds left to end up with 16 points on 4-of-5 clip from distance.
Maroons get back UP
This enabled State U to bounce back from its tough 77-68 defeat to La Salle last week and get back on the winning track this UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournament.
It's very much the same story from their first encounter last Oct. 2 when UP put on the jets in the second half to take the 81-70 victory.
The Fighting Maroons’ season sweep of the Growling Tigers also saw Harold Alarcon contribute 11 points, two rebounds, and two assists and Quentin Millora-Brown chime in 10 points, five boards, and five blocks, as the Diliman crew remained tied for first with a 7-1 win-loss record.
Cagulangan also returned from a two-game absence and churned out nine points, four assists, two steals, and one rebound.
“We’ve always talked about responding to the challenge and in the first half, UST had the better of us. But I believe that the team worked together to regain control of the game in the second half,” said coach Goldwin Monteverde, raving about his wards' 43 to 35 rebounding edge.
For a time, UST looked like it can keep up, taking a 54-47 lead midway in the third and was even ahead, 65-61, with 8:26 to play.
Mo Tounkara was a big reason for that with 24 points and nine rebounds, but he was held to just two in the final 10 minutes of the game, with his presence neutralized when it mattered the most.
Nic Cabanero also garnered 17 points and nine boards and Christian Manaytay had 12 and two, while Forthsky Padrigao was held to just five points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field as the Espana side fell to an even 4-4 slate.
The Scores:
UP 83 – Lopez 20, Fortea 16, Alarcon 11, Millora-Brown 10, Cagulangan 9, Bayla 4, Torres 4, Ududo 4, Belmonte 3, Stevens 2, Felicilda 0, Torculas 0, Briones 0.
UST 73 – Tounkara 24, Cabanero 17, Manaytay 12, Padrigao 5, Llemit 5, Danting 4, Robinson 4, Acido 2, Crisostomo 0, Calum 0, Lane 0, Pangilinan 0, Paranada 0, Laure 0, Mahmood 0.
Quarters: 18-17, 43-43, 59-62, 83-73.
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