By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons played one of their best second-half performances in the UAAP and out-maneuvered the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 73-65, to take Game 1 of the best-of-three finals series on December 8, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
UP survived an early outburst from reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP), DLSU’s Kevin Quiambao, who already tallied 18 big points in just the first 20 minutes of action.
Several key adjustments were then deployed by the UP coaching staff, and the first order of business was how to stop the rampaging Quiambao in the second half.
Picking up the responsibility for the Fighting Maroons was the highly-touted rookie, Jacob Bayla, who put the clamps on Quiambao after limiting him to a dismal one-point outing in the second half built from a 0/6 shooting from the field.
Bayla was tasked to contain Quiambao and the stellar debuting player didn’t disappoint as he delivered in the brightest lights in the UAAP stage despite setting foot in his first-ever collegiate championship series.
The Batang Gilas staple member showed another dimension to his game as he fronted Quiambao and forced him to several uncomfortable spots.
Bayla forced Quiambao to go to his left side, a weakness that the Fighting Maroons unlocked throughout the games that they dueled each other from the regular season.
Aside from locking down his right driving lane, Bayla also became physical with his defensive approach and forced Quiambao to take the risky fade-away attempts and perimeter jumpers.
After the Quiambao puzzle was completed, the rest of the Fighting Maroons flipped the switch and turned into a well-oiled machine led by Quentin Millora-Brown who feasted in the shaded lane the whole second half.
Millora-Brown was unstoppable in the post and scored in a variety of ways to school the DLSU interior pool. From his straightforward post-up bully ball plays to his finishes made possible by his polished footwork, the future member of the Gilas Pilipinas men’s national basketball team was no doubt the best player inside the court after the win.
Gluing things together for the Fighting Maroons was their floor general JD Cagulangan who scored timely buckets while also forcing winning defensive stops in the most crucial stretch of the final frame.
Ilonggo guard Gerry Abadiano also chipped in his share after hitting the two most important baskets for the Fighting Maroons when the Green Archers trimmed their double-digit deficit to just four points in the remaining four minutes of game time.
Millora-Brown led the UP charge with 17 points derived from an efficient 7/11 shooting from the field alongside nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.
Cagulangan backstopped his dominant center with an all-around wizardry of 13 markers, five dimes, four boards, two rejections, and a steal.
“Game 1’s won’t win championships. Although the goal is always to win Game 1, nandito na kami, one game away. We just have to focus on what we need to improve in terms of lapses during the game kanina and try to prepare for the next game,” said UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde after taking a 1-0 finals lead.
