UAAP: UP survives UE’s upset bid for third straight win

MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — The University of the Philippines ended the first round of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament on a three-game winning streak after escaping with a hard-earned victory over the University of the East on Saturday.

The Fighting Maroons battled past a tenacious UE squad for a 91-81 win at the Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila, giving them a 5-2 record to end the first round of the tournament.

As it stands, UP is at the top spot in the league standings, ahead of idle Far Eastern University and National University who both have 4-2 win-loss slates.

The game was far closer than UP’s 10-point winning margin indicated, however. The Fighting Maroons had to overhaul a first quarter deficit and then hold off the Red Warriors, who made repeated comeback attempts in the fourth period behind the shot-making of Toper Lagat. 

Huge plays by James Payosing and Dikachi Ududo ultimately kept the Fighting Maroons in control, and the Red Warriors absorbed a seventh straight defeat.

This was also UE’s 27th straight loss since Season 87 in 2024 — matching the second-longest losing streak in league history.

Payosing had a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double, while Ududo shrugged off early foul trouble to finish with 10 points. Gani Stevens just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, while former UE star Rey Remogat labored to 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

“Actually naunahan kami ng UE in a way. That’s one test for the team, coming from behind, playing tough defense para makabalik sa game. Along the way siyempre kailangan namin matuto to start strong. I guess as we go along sa season, we’ll learn to do those,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde.

UE took a slim 48-45 lead into the halftime break and weathered an early flurry by UP in the third to go up by four points, 65-61, behind a scoring spree by Cole Cruz-Dumont. But Chicco Briones came alive in the final three minutes of the third quarter, knocking down three triples to help the Fighting Maroons enter the payoff period with a 73-65 advantage.

UP appeared poised to break the game open after a Payosing and-1 made it 78-70 with over six minutes to go, but buckets by Mo Tanedo breathed life into the Red Warriors’ cause. Lagat then caught fire in the closing stretch, as the guard knocked down back-to-back triples that made it a five-point game, 86-81, with still 2:55 left.

But the Red Warriors faltered in the clutch after Lagat fouled out with 69 seconds to go. A Payosing split made it 87-81, and off a timeout, UE could not execute its offense. On the other end, a tip-in by Ududo made it an 89-81 lead with 38.2 seconds left, and the Fighting Maroons held on from there.

Briones finished with 13 points, while Veejay Pre had an all-around performance with 11 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the win.

The high-scoring Lagat fired 26 points, making five of his 11 attempts from long range. Tanedo added 14 points, and Cruz-Dumont finished with 10 points. 

But the Red Warriors struggled to keep UP off the line, and the Fighting Maroons maximized their opportunities by making 30 of 46 free throw attempts. UP also had 25 offensive rebounds that led to 22 second chance points.

UP (91) – Payosing 16, Briones 13, Stevens 12, Pre 11, Dimaculangan 11, Remogat 10, Ududo 10, Yñiguez 4, Bayla 2, Alter 2, Franco 0, Palanca 0.

UE (81) – Lagat 26, Tañedo 14, Cruz-Dumont 10, Sabroso 9, Carillo 9, Vazquez 7, Jimenez 4, Robles 2, Edoukou 0, Mascariñas 0, Santos 0, Dungca 0, Apostol 0, Perez 0, Javier 0.

Quarterscores: 21-25, 45-48, 73-65, 91-81.