UAAP: UP nears first round sweep, edges La Salle
UP’s Gerry Abadiano.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — University of the Philippines withstood a stiff challenge from La Salle to extend its unbeaten run with a 67-64 win in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Gerry Abadiano buried the go-ahead jumper, 65-63, with 1:01 remaining before Reyland Torres knocked down a pair of pressure-packed free throws and CJ Cansino made a crucial steal as the Fighting Maroons notched their sixth straight victory.
“It’s about pride,” said Abadiano in Filipino after scoring 13 points that went with four rebounds, and two assists. “We were blessed because we got this win. But this is just the first round, we’re not yet done. We still have a lot of games and we have a lot of things to improve as a team.”
Staring at a 50-38 deficit after a Kevin Quiambao triple to start the third quarter, UP clicked on both ends of the floor unleashing a blistering 21-0 run and holding La Salle to without a field goal for the next 14 minutes.
UP center Malick Diouf.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Still, the Archers somehow managed to battle back and even tie the game at 63 following a hook shot by Quiambao with 4:29 left before Abadiano regained the lead back to the Fighting Maroons for good.
“We started flat on both ends in the first half and our defense in the second half spelled the difference. It was much better in the second half. We really worked for the loose balls, we were able to recover. It’s all about wanting it more for us,” said UP Goldwin Monteverde, whose squad goes for a first-round sweep on Sunday in a Finals rematch against defending champion Ateneo.
Reigning MVP Malick Diouf tallied a double-double of 10 points and 18 rebounds with two blocks, and two steals to boot while Harold Alarcon also had 10 points to go with eight rebounds and one steal.
La Salle absorbed its second straight loss, dropping to a 3-3 record tied with Ateneo and Adamson.
Phillips led the Green Archers with 15 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, and two assists, while Quiambao had 14 points and seven rebounds as they missed Evan Nelle due to a quad contusion.
The Scores:
UP (67) – Abadiano 13, Alarcon 10, Diouf 10, Lopez 7, Cansino 7, Torres 7, Belmonte 7, Cagulangan 6, Felicilda 0, Alter 0, Torculas 0, Pablo 0, Gonzales 0.
DLSU (64) – M. Phillips 15, Quiambao 14, David 7, Manuel 7, Nwankwo 6, Nonoy 5, Austria 5, Abadam 2, Macalalag 2, Policarpio 1, B. Phillips 0, Escandor 0, Gollena 0.
Quarterscores: 21-28, 38-47, 59-50, 67-64
