UP Maroons rip Japan’s Tohoku five

KAOHSIUNG CITY—University of the Philippines got all fired up early and made Tohoku Gakuin University pay dearly.

Kyles Jefferson Lao had 19 points while big men Mark Juruena and Joseph Rey Gallarza finished in double-double figures as the Fighting Maroons demolished the Japanese, 83-75, Friday in the 2014 Buddha’s Light Cup University Basketball Tournament.

The Maroons led from start to finish, asserting themselves around the rim and running the floor with efficiency for the victory.

From a 12-point advantage in the first half, they hardly encountered trouble the rest of the way, except for the torrid shooting of Ryo Ishigamori and Satoshi Kikuchi, who combined for 47 points and four triples.

The Japanese came firing back from several double-digit deficits and narrowed the gap, 59-64, on Go Otani’s 20-footer, but the uprising was extinguished just as quick when Lao, Juruena and Christopher Angelo Vito restored order on the floor.

“Everything was under control. We knew they were tired, so we were able to counter the attack and stop them on their tracks,” said UP coach Rey Madrid.

The scores:

UP 83—Lao 19, Gallarza 11, Moralde 11, Juruena 10, Asilum 8, Vito 8, Amar 6, Gingerich 4, Reyes 4, Dario 2.

TGU 75—Ishigamori 25, Kikuchi 22, Honda 15, Konno 6, Kosegawa 4, Otani 3, Umetsu 0, Nakai 0.

Quarters: 23-13, 44-32, 63-54, 83-75