REY Remogat may not admit it, but he surely was fired up facing his old alma mater on Sunday.
And he let his actions do the talking, energizing the University of the Philippines to its breakthrough victory in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament at the expense of University of the East, 92-75, at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 5-foot-10 guard ignited the Fighting Maroons' first half pullaway, 18 of his 21 points in the first two periods, on top of 11 assists, seven boards, and two steals.
"Wala namang gigil. Galing kami sa dalawang beses na pagkatalo, so mas nag-focus lang ako sa kailangan kong gawin as a point guard," said Remogat, shrugging off chatter of this being a special game against his former peers.
"'Di ko ginawang basis yung [kalaban ang] UE kasi we know we just have to play as champions."
READ: Gani Stevens, Rey Remogat reunited in UP - and it feels so good
Gani Stevens, another ex-Red Warrior, also did damage in dropping 14 points and nine rebounds in the second half, as State U finally got to the win column after three tries.
UP Fight back on track
It's a much needed win for the defending champions after suffering two stunning losses to University of Santo Tomas and Adamson to commence this campaign.
"For me, more than the win, it's how we played this game. It's obvious that we need to play for each other so we just need to continue growing," said coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Nigerian high-flyer Francis Nnoruka also had his best game to date for UP, nabbing a double-double of 14 points, 10 boards, and three blocks, including the thunderous dunk that made it a 28-point affair, 85-57, with 6:01 to play.
Precious Momowei once again put UE on his shoulders with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks, but he accounted for seven of his team's 15 turnovers, which State U turned into 19 easy points.
Wello Lingolingo chipped in 18 points on 2-of-7 shooting from deep, as well as six boards and two steals, as John Abate got 15 points, six dimes, four steals, and three rebounds in the defeat, as the Red Warriors further sank to a 0-3 record.
The Scores:
UP 92 - Remogat 21, Stevens 14, Nnoruka 14, Abadiano 10, Palanca 8, Bayla 7, Belmonte 6, Felicilda 3, Alarcon 2, Torres 2, Andres 2, Briones 2, Fortea 0, Yniguez 0, Alter 0, Coronel 0.
UE 75 - Momowei 18, Lingolingo 18, Abate 15, Jimenez 10, Datumalim 5, Mulingtapang 3, Caoile 2, Tanedo 2, Robles 2, Cruz-Dumont 0, Lagat 0, Malaga 0.
Quarters: 27-20, 53-36, 74-54, 92-75.
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