With sophomore Juan Gomez De Liano playing his best game yet, University of the Philippines got back on track with an emphatic 94-81 victory over University of the East while National U stayed within Final Four contention in UAAP Season 81 basketball tournament on Sunday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Last year’s top rookie became the first player to produce a triple double in 12 years as he collected 15 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for the Fighting Maroons, who used a strong finishing kick to subdue the Warriors for their fourth win in nine games for a share of fifth spot.
The Bulldogs drew solid efforts from newcomers Dave Ildefonso and Troy Rike to hammer out a 69-61 win over University of Santo Tomas in the first game.
Ildefonso, the prized rookie from Ateneo, had 16 points—including seven in the final quarter—while Rike, the Filipino-American center who suited up for Wake Forest in the US NCAA, contributed 13 points and six rebounds as the Bulldogs improved to 3-6, just two games behind fourth running La Salle and Far Eastern U.
“Hopefully, we get the same result the rest of the way,” said NU coach Jamike Jarin, after the Bulldogs used a decisive run in the second half to run away from a close game.
The Maroons pulled level with the Tigers at fifth spot with a 4-5 record as they capitalized on La Salle and FEU’s missteps over the weekend. Unable to sustain their strong play in wins against FEU and UE, the Tigers missed the chance of vaulting into Final Four range after losing steam against the Bulldogs.
The victory against the Warriors was just what the Maroons needed after a frustrating couple of weeks that put their once promising bid to reach the playoffs in doubt after a spate of poor performances.
“I hope this pushes us to the next level,” UP coach Bo Perasol said. “We know we still have a good chance of reaching the Final Four especially if we play the way we played tonight.”
Aside from scoring their highest output of the season, the Maroons’ 26 assists and nine steals were also season-highs by any team.
Bright Akhuetie had 28 points and 13 rebounds, while Diego Dario led the bench mob, accounting for 13 of a season-high 42 points from the reserves.
“Diego and Bright played to their potentials,” said Perasol.
Playing his final season for the Maroons, Dario stood at the forefront of UP’s fourth quarter burst with eight points in a 17-2 run for an 80-64 advantage.
De Liano’s triple double was the first since former UP star Marvin Cruz’s in 2006.