By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons didn’t need any warmups to impose their will in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Basketball Tournament after man-handling the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles, 77-61, on September 7, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
After trailing early in the opening quarter, the Fighting Maroons banked on an efficient two-way performance starting in the third-minute mark of the first to fend off Ateneo’s great shooting start.
UP faced a five-point deficit after a Jared Bahay three-pointer, 8-13, and quickly adjusted defensively to turn things around.
Terrence Fortea ignited a dominant UP scoring run in the second frame after hitting a couple of three-point bombs which was backed up by JD Cagulangan and Ilonggo Gerry Abadiano’s timely buckets.
After the trio exploded for the Fighting Maroons, Ateneo underwent a disappointing offensive slump and failed to maintain their momentum at the end of the first half.
UP continued its rampage in the third quarter as things got out of hand for the Blue Eagles when they faced a double-digit hole.
The veteran experience and talent-laden Fighting Maroons team just overwhelmed the Blue Eagles in the entire second half, resulting in a one-sided battle in the final two quarters.
Ateneo showed some signs of life in the fourth after closing the gap to eight points, 62-54, but Cagulangan played spoiler to the Blue nation after hitting a circus perimeter shot that sucked their life out when they were trying to build a run.
After the clutch looping jumper to beat the buzzer, Cagulangan added more highlight reel to his bag after swiveling an on-point drop pass to a trailing Francis Lopez that ballooned their lead back to 12 points.
Ateneo just had no answers in the remaining portion of the game, failing to answer every UP bucket after an unfortunate cold shooting performance in the final four minutes of the game.
Cagulangan showed the way for the Fighting Maroons after a near triple-double performance of 17 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds.
Backstopping Cagulangan during UP’s statement win was Lopez who contributed an all-around outing of 14 markers, six boards, three dimes, and two blocks.
On the other hand, the former top high school player of the country, Bahay, topped Ateneo with 13 points but needed more help from his squad.
