UNIVERSITY of the Philippines remains a mountain National U can't scale.
Behind Harold Alarcon, the Fighting Maroons continued to have the Bulldogs' number, dealing the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament leader a 78-74 defeat on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
The senior guard unfurled 13 of his season-high 24 points in a key fourth quarter, as State U denied the Bulldogs' late rally and sealed the win with a steal and a layup to extend the lead to seven, 73-66, with 1:53 to go.
He also canned four pressure-packed free throws in the final minute, capping off his performance with four assists, three rebounds, and one steal, as the defending champions bounced back from its 72-69 defeat to La Salle last Sunday and climb up to 5-3.
Rey Remogat chipped in 11 points, five boards, and three assists; Reyland Torres added 10 points and five rebounds; and Gani Stevens got six of his seven points in the payoff period for UP, which started the game like a house on fire, opening the contest at 18-1 then 22-4.
"Malaking bagay yung strong start namin. It's been rare for us the whole year, but at the same time yung pagsustain namin. Our defense was able to hold up until the end," remarked assistant coach Christian Luanzon.
The Fighting Maroons have now won five of their its last six games to improve to 5-3.
Jake Figueroa shouldered the load with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, aiding the NU fightback, as they got to within three, 69-66, with 2:29 to play.
Paul Francisco chipped in 13 points, five steals, two boards, and two assists, as PJ Palacielo scored 11 in what would be the end of the blue-and-gold's three-game win run to slide to 6-2.
The Scores:
UP 78 - Alarcon 24, Remogat 11, Torres 10, Stevens 7, Fortea 6, Bayla 6, Nnoruka 5, Abadiano 4, Palanca 3, Belmonte 2, Alter 0, Yniguez 0.
NU 74 - Figueroa 18, Francisco 13, Palacielo 11, Parks 7, Manansala 6, John 5, Santiago 4, Garcia 4, Padrones 4, Enriquez 2, Dela Cruz 0, Reyes 0, Solomon 0.
Quarters: 22-6, 41-29, 56-50, 78-74.
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