UAAP: UP comes back from 22 down to beat Adamson

UP’s JD Cagulangan and Mark Belmonte during the Fighting Maroons comeback win over the Adamson Falcons in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–University of the Philippines climbed out of a deep hole to remain perfect in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The Fighting Maroons erased a 22-point deficit to overcome the Adamson Falcons, 69-57, for their fifth consecutive win.

“Sometimes, there really are games like that,” UP coach Goldwin Monteverde said in Filipino. “We were really trying to execute offensively in the first half but our shots were not falling.”

SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 87 basketball

UP coach Goldwin Monteverde, Quentin Millora-Brown, and Terrence Fortea share their thoughts after their fifth straight win. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/yS2tMe3DUl

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) September 28, 2024

“So we just talked in the huddle to stick with the game plan, work as a team, look for better shots [and] at the same time on the other end Adamson were getting a lot of 3-pointers so we had to remind each other that defensively we need to work for it,” Monteverde added.

Harold Alarcon finished with 14 points, seven rebounds while Terrence Fortea, who caught fire in the third quarter, contributed 13 points after draining all of his three attempts from afar, along with five rebounds as UP remained on top of the standings.

Quentin Millora-Brown was dominant in the paint for the Maroons, recording a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Trailing big early, UP went on a blistering 25-2 surge capped by a basket by JD Cagulangan to take the lead, 34-33, in the second quarter then went on another scoring binge in the final frame to complete its comeback. Cagulangan finished with 11 points and seven assists.

READ: UAAP: UP blows past FEU to go 4-0 in men’s basketball

“After that first quarter I thought that we did a great job responding,” Millora-Brown, the one-and-done forward from Citadel College, said. “I thought that [in] our first quarter we came out stagnant, flat, couldn’t hit shots, wasn’t getting stops on defense from the game plan that we planned for but I thought that it was a great response from everyone.”

Monty Montebon paced the Falcons, who continued their rollercoaster ride this season at 3-3, with 12 points but shot just 3-of-11 from the field.

The comeback win moved UP within two games of sweeping the first round with University of Santo Tomas and defending champion La Salle as its final assignments.