MANILA, Philippines—University of the East hardly missed a beat even without its superstar point guard Roi Sumang in a 68-48 whipping of University of the Philippines in the UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball tournament Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Charles Mammie powered the Red Warriors with a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds while Dan Alberto scored nine of his 11 points from long range.
Mammie and Albert, along with Mark Olayon, who also finished in double-digit points with 10, filled the void left by the injured Sumang.
Sumang, who sat on the team bench and was in uniform, didn’t play due to a sprained ankle he sustained during UE’s win over University of Santo Tomas last Wednesday.
The Red Warriors pulled away for good in the third quarter and led by 22 in the fourth quarter.
Mikee Reyes had 19 points to lead the Fighting Maroons, who went plummeting back to earth just days after ending a long losing skid and pickup their seventh loss in eight games.
UE, which tied UST in fourth place at 4-4, shot 45 percent from the field while limiting UP to just 24 percent.