By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons already gave the UAAP fans a preview of their matchup with their rival squad Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles after handing them a crushing defeat, 95-70, in the ongoing Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup last March 24, 2023, held at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
It was an impressive wire-to-wire win for the Fighting Maroons after never looking back when they extended their advantage to double digits at the start of the second quarter.
Ateneo just got no answer to UP’s athleticism and three-point shooting which was the reason why they were able to open up an early 20-point lead midway through the second frame.
After LeBron Lopez put the crowd on their feet when he slammed the ball in a fast break situation, the Fighting Maroons just rolled in the entire game and refused to give up their double-digit lead.
Ateneo showed some signs of life when they were able to execute three consecutive drawn set plays that trimmed their deficit to just 13 points but UP came surging back after CJ Cansino drilled a trey.
It was then all UP in the last six minutes of the game as the trio of Malick Diouf, Cansino, and Lopez closed the show with straight offensive buckets for the Fighting Maroons.
“Ang nakita kong maganda, coming from two losses, bouncing back from it. I was satisfied sa naging consistency namin today,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde
Diouf led the UP assault with 16 points and eight rebounds, Harold Alarcon chipped in 14 markers, while Cansino added 14 points.
Meanwhile, in the other scheduled game, the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers demolished Faith Colleges, 105-60.
Kevin Quiambao top-scored for the Green Archers with 17 points and nine rebounds while Ben Phillips had 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
