UNIVERSITY of the East ended the season on a winning note, beating University of the Philippines, 79-67, on Wednesday in the UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Red Warriors missed the Final Four but finished the season with a flourish, winning their second straight game to end up in sixth place with a 6-8 win-loss card.
The Maroons showed promise to start the season by winning their first two games but wrapped up their campaign with a 3-11 win-loss slate, two victories more than their output last season.
Clark Derige had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Paul Varilla added 14 markers, while Chris Javier had 13 points in his final game as a UE Red Warrior.
“We fell one game short of landing a Final Four berth,” said UE coach Derrick Pumaren. “We didn’t beat the teams that we were supposed to beat but I must say that we did exceed expectations.”
“With nine rookies, I saw what the team can do and I still believe that we are a lot better than the standing that we have,” Pumaren added.
Paul Desiderio had 26 points for the Maroons, who saw JR Gallarza, Mark Juruena, and Agustini Amar play their final game for the school.
The scores:
UE (79) — Derige 18, P. Varilla 14, Javier 13, De Leon 8, J. Varilla 7, Yu 5, Palma 5, Batiller 3, Manalang 3, Gagate 2, Sta. Ana 1, Charcos 0.
UP (67) — Desiderio 26, Asilum 12, Amar 8, Juruena 7, Manuel 6, Moralde 4, Dario 2, Gallarza 2, Kone 0, Webb 0, Vito 0, Harris 0, Jaboneta 0, Lim 0.
Quarterscores: 17-18. 37-28, 61-47, 79-67.
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