IF there's still any questions on to who the University of the Philippines will go to when push comes to shove, Harold Alarcon just gave State U an emphatic answer.
The senior guard put the Fighting Maroons on his shoulders in pulling out the thrilling 89-88 victory vs. University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Alarcon drilled the go-ahead turnaround jumper with 24.3 seconds left and helped make the big stops late, as UP stayed solo second at 7-3 in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament.
His haunting presence foiled the Growling Tigers' repeated attempts in the clutch, as Collins Akowe and Amiel Acido failed to find the bottom of the net.
It's only right, too, that Alarcon got the game-sealing steal, as Akowe lost grip of the leather in the final 3.6 seconds to punctuate the Diliman side's third consecutive victory -and seven of their last eight.
That capped off a 22-performance for the Bacolod native, 10 of which came in the payoff period, which also went with five rebounds, four assists, and three steals, as the Iskos gutted out the decision despite being called for 38 fouls in the game.
Rey Remogat kickstarted the gears for the Fighting Maroons with 11 of his 19 points in the first half, as he shot five triples to go with three boards, three dimes, and two steals, while Migs Yniguez had a career-best 11 points built on three three-pointers.
"Having started slow and being able to come back defensively, maganda ang pinakita namin although yung mga fouls pa rin namin is marami," said coach Goldwin Monteverde, as his side showed immense fortitude in crawling back from an early 15-point first half hole.
"Pero yung mga ganitong klaseng games na dikdikan, you have to give credit to the players."
UST in a black-and-gold hole
Redemption was also achieved for the defending champions, putting behind their 87-67 opening weekend blowout loss to this very same UST side.
It was a debilitating defeat for the Growling Tigers who have now suffered four consecutive defeats to sink to an even 5-5 record despite Akowe's 26-16 night.
Making the loss more painful were the opportunities they fumbled, with the black-and-gold shooting 28-of-52 from the charity stripe, as well as Forthsky Padrigao twisting his ankle and rendering him inactive from the halfway point of the third period.
Cabanero chipped in 18 points, three boards, two assists, and one steal, and Acido got 10 points and three rebounds in the loss.
The Scores:
UP 89 - Alarcon 22, Remogat 19, Yniguez 11, Belmonte 9, Nnoruka 6, Palanca 5, Stevens 5, Bayla 4, Fortea 4, Abadiano 2, Torres 2, Alter 0, Briones 0.
UST 88 - Akowe 26, Cabanero 18, Acido 10, Buenaflor 9, Paranada 8, Llemit 8, Estacio 5, Padrigao 2, Crisostomo 2, Laure 0, Calum 0, Danting 0.
Quarters: 21-26, 45-47, 68-63, 89-88.
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