IT wasn’t the blowout it anticipated, but the University of the Philippines still took care of business, blasting Ateneo, 77-61, to start its UAAP Season 87 men's basketball campaign on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
JD Cagulangan, the hero of the Fighting Maroons’ last championship run, nailed a long two that stopped the Blue Eagles’ late rally after the boys of coach Tab Baldwin trimmed the lead back to eight inside the last five minutes.
Francis Lopez then took the season hosts home, as he strung together five straight points, punctuated by a thunderous tomahawk slam to make it a 69-54 affair with 4:03 to go.
It’s the kind of finishing touch one would expect for a crown-chasing State U side which is coming into this campaign with lofty expectations after back-to-back runner-up finishes.
Cagulangan, as expected, was the stabilizer for UP with a near-triple-double performance to the tune of 17 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.
Lopez also finished with 14 on 8-of-13 clip from the free throw line as his fastbreak dunk with 2:31 on the clock served as the exclamation point in this win No. 1 in front of 12,932 in attendance at the Big Dome.
Quite the first impression for UP's one-and-done sensation QMB
Much of the credit may go to the aforementioned pair, but Fil-Am center Quentin Millora-Brown’s presence in the paint was also undeniable for the Fighting Maroons, hauling down 17 boards to compliment his seven points, two assists, and two blocks.
UP dominating the game was expected, but it took time especially after that lackadaisical first half where it struggled against Ateneo’s zone which forced the Iskos to commit 10 of their 17 turnovers.
But they cleaned up their act after the halftime break, staging a 10-2 barrage to open the third quarter and create a 50-32 breathing room before repeatedly holding off the Blue Eagles’ rallies.
"I thought we started tight in the first half. Then we started to move the ball around, then we got the rhythm we wanted. Doon namin nakuha ‘yung confidence namin as a team," said coach Goldwin Monteverde.
Ateneo, for its part, did its best to avoid the one-sided affair many projected, with bluechip rookie Jared Bahay living up to his hype with 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Josh Lazaro was also a positive with his 11-point, 11-board double-double, but the Blue Eagles also shot themselves on the foot making only 19 of their 40 free throws which was further compounded by Chris Koon’s left ankle sprain that kept him on the bench from the 3:11 mark of the second quarter.
The Scores:
UP 77 - Cagulangan 17, Lopez 14, Fortea 8, Millora-Brown 7, Bayla 7, Ududo 7, Alarcon 6, Abadiano 5, Belmonte 4, Torres 2, Felicilda 0, Stevens 0, Briones 0, Alter 0.
ATENEO 61 - Bahay 13, Lazaro 11, Tuano 11, Espina 7, Espinosa 4, Balogun 4, Porter 3, Gamber 3, Koon 3, Bongo 2, Quitevis 0, Ong 0, Edu 0.
Quarters: 17-16, 40-30, 58-45, 77-61.
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