UP claims UAAP Season 87 opener

c/o UAAP

University of the Philippines made a strong statement to open its UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men's Basketball campaign, delivering a stunning finish to defeat archrival Ateneo de Manila University, 77-61, in front of 12,932 fans at the SMART Araneta Coliseum on Saturday evening.

Despite Ateneo closing the gap to within eight points midway through the fourth quarter, trailing 54-62 after being down by as much as 18 in the third, UP responded emphatically. 

JD Cagulangan hit a jumper, and Francis Lopez followed with five consecutive points, including a layup plus a foul and a thunderous one-hand jam, giving UP a fresh 15-point cushion with 4:03 remaining, 69-54.

“We started out tight in the first half, but when we started moving the ball around, we found the rhythm we wanted and gained confidence as a team,” said Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde.

UP, despite a slow start and a slim 17-16 lead at the end of the first quarter, built a 10-point lead by halftime. Terrence Fortea and Francis Lopez combined efforts in the second quarter to give UP a 40-30 advantage at the break.

Cagulangan flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 17 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds, adding two steals and a plus-19 rating in his 30 minutes on the floor.

“Nung first half may challenge kami na hinarap then after nung huddle namin sa halftime, laging sinasabi sa amin kung paano namin i-overcome ‘yung challenge na ‘yun kaya nakapag-respond kami nang maayos and nacontrol namin ‘yung game hanggang dulo,” said Cagulangan, who is in his final year with UP.

Lopez added 14 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field, while also going 8-of-13 from the free-throw line. Last season's Rookie of the Year also contributed six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.

Quentin Millora-Brown, a one-and-done big man from The Citadel, imposed his 6-foot-10 stature with 17 rebounds, two blocks, and seven points, finishing with a plus-17 rating in 25 minutes.

UP shot 49.2 percent from the field (29-of-59) and limited Ateneo to just 28.8 percent (19-of-66).

The Fighting Maroons will next face the University of the East Red Warriors on Saturday at the Big Dome at 6:30 p.m.

Freshman Jared Bahay led the Blue Eagles with 13 points but struggled with his shooting, making only 3-of-11. The 5-foot-9 also general from Cebu also recorded five rebounds and four assists. 

Senior Joshua Lazaro added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Shawn Tuano also contributed 11 points and five rebounds.

Blue Eagles captain Chris Koon left the game early and did not return after injuring his left ankle at the 3:11 mark of the second quarter.

Ateneo will aim to rebound on Wednesday against the University of Santo Tomas, still at the Cubao venue at 6:30 p.m.

The Scores:

UP 77 – Cagulangan 17, Lopez 14, Fortea 8, Millora-Brown 7, Bayla 7, Ududo 7, Alarcon 6, Abadiano 5, Belmonte 2, Torres 0, Briones 0, Stevens 0, Alter 0, Felicilda 0.

Ateneo 61 – Bahay 13, Lazaro 11, Tuano 11, Espina 7, Espinosa 4, Balogun 4, Koon 3, Gamber 3, Porter 3, Bongo 2, Quitevis 0, Edu 0, Ong 0.

Quarterscores: 17-16, 40-30, 58-45, 77-61.