UNIVERSITY of the Philippines weathered a University of Santo Tomas comeback for a nail-biting 76-73 victory on Monday in a fiery start to its Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup title defense.
Down by 12, 58-70, inside the last four-and-a-half minutes, the Tigers went on a 15-4 tear capped by Forthsky Padrigao's triple to claw to within one, 74-73, with 3.5 ticks on the clock.
However, Gerry Abadiano coolly converted his free throws to give the Maroons a more comfortable three-point margin.
Goldwin's priority
Off a timeout, UST still had enough time to make something happen, only to see Christian Manaytay fumble the ball and allow UP to escape with their second straight win in the tournament.
Abadiano wound up with 13 points, while JD Cagulangan uncorked 18 markers on top of eight assists and two steals and Francis Lopez provided a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.
“Importante lang para sa akin right now is maging respondent ka sa huli,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde. “Having these kinds of challenges early would make us better.”
The Tigers (0-2) were then paced by Leland Estacio with 16 points, as Padrigao finished with 13 markers, six assists, three rebounds, and two steals and Hinda Tounkara pounded in 16 points and 13 boards.
Bouncing back from their loss against Far Eastern University, University of the East bucked a slow start to eke out a 72-64 decision that spoiled National University's debut .
Precious Momowei collected 27 points, 19 rebounds, and two blocks to carry the Red Warriors to a 1-3 record.
The debuting Bulldogs, on the other hand, were spearheaded by PJ Palacielo's 14 points.
It was a different story for Emilio Aguinaldo College which leaned on a furious fourth quarter against San Beda to debut with a 76-67 win.
Meanwhile, Basti Valencia’s 30-point outing powered Arellano past San Sebastian, 105-95.
The scores:
FIRST GAME
EAC 76 — Quinal 15, Doromal 13, Gurtiza 11, Oftana 9, Lucero 7, Pagsanjan 7, Angeles 5, Bacud 5, Umpad 2, Bagay 2, Ochavo 0, Luciano 0, Loristo 0, Doria 0, Ednilag 0
SAN BEDA 67 — Re. Calimag11, Bonzalida 9, Ri. Calimag 8, Estacio 7, Gonzales 5, Sajonia 4, Songcuya 4, Hawkins 4, Tagle 3, Jalbuena 3, Tagala 3, Royo 3, Torres 2, Celzo 1, Alloso 0
QUARTERS: 15-16, 29-39, 48-56, 76-67
SECOND GAME
ARELLANO 105 — Valencia 30, Abiera 18, Libang 9, Hemal 7, Ongotan 7, Vinoya 7, Geronimo 6, Dayrit 6, Capulong 5, Espiritu 4, Abiera 2, Borromeo 2, Miller 2, Dela Cruz 0, Barraca 0
SAN SEBASTIAN 95 — Re. Gabat 23, Escobido 12, Aguilar 12, Felebrico 10, Ricio 9, Velasco 8, Maliwat 5, Pascual 5, Ra. Gabat 4, Suico 3, Ronquillo 3, Barroga 1, Lintol 0, Valina 0
QUARTERS: 31-25, 61-46, 84-65, 105-95
THIRD GAME
BENILDE 72 — Morales 11, Ancheta 10, Liwag 9, Torres 7, Jalalon 5, Sangco 5, Carillo 5, Ondoa 4, Eusebio 4, Turco 3, Ynot 3, Oli 2, Galas 2, Serrano 2, Cajucom 0
MAPUA 59 — Cuenco 11, Hubilla 11, Jabonete 10, Bancale 10, Recto 6, Concepcion 5, Igliane 3, Fermin 2, Abdulla 1, Agemenyi 0, Mangubat 0, Ryan 0
QUARTERS: 15-9, 37-21, 52-40, 72-59
FOURTH GAME
UE 72 — Momowei 27, Lingolingo 12, Abate 10, Mulingtapang 7, Mega 7, Robles 4, Spandoni 3, Cruz-Dumont 1, Galang 1, Go 0, Malaga 0
NU 64 — Palacielo 14, Manansala 12, Jomamoy 6, Garcia 5, Tulabut 5, Figueroa 5, Padrones 4, Santiago 4, Yu 3, Dela Cruz 2, Reyes 2, John 2, Francisco 0, Lim 0, Parks 0
QUARTERS: 14-19, 33-32, 57-51, 72-64
FIFTH GAME
UST 73 — Estacio 16, Padrigao 13, Tounkara 13, Cabañero 12, Manaytay 7, Paranada 5, Danting 3, Laure 2, Crisostomo 2, Andrews 0, Pangilinan 0
UP 76 — Cagulangan 18, Abadiano 13, Lopez 12, Alarcon 11, Briones 6, Ududo 5, Stevens 4, Torres 2, Torculas 2, Alter 2, Felicilda 1, Walker 0, Belmonte 0
QUARTERS: 21-16, 34-33, 57-48, 76-73
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