By Jun Ray Navarres
Rey Remogat finally got his time to shine by spearheading the University of the Philippines’ commanding 92-75 rout over the University of the East in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The prized guard recruited last year from the Red Warriors tallied 21 points, 11 assist, seven rebounds, and two steals to give the Fighting Maroons’ its first win of the season after two straight losses.
“Wala naman gigil kasi yun nga, galing kami sa dalawang beses na pagkatalo. Yung gigil kasi, pwede mangyari na panget or maganda. Siguro, mas nagfocus lang ako sa dapat ko gawin as a point guard and hindi ko ginawang basis yung UE para maging maganda yung laro ko,” said Remogat, who only recorded 2.5 points on 20-percent shooting with 2.0 assists, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.0 turnovers in his first two outings.
Seeing UE lead 17-9 early, Remogat stepped up to drill five threes for 18 first half points and give UP a dominant 53-36 advantage leading into halftime.
The Fighting Maroons never looked back again. Continuing on their newfound momentum, UP trapped Precious Momowei in a zone defense while Gani Stevens executed their offense on the other end to extend the lead to 20 by the end of third period.
Francis Nnoruka’s tomahawk slam capped the Diliman representatives’ 11-3 run in the final frame to push the gap to 28, 85-57, sealing the game.
The Nigerian center finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.
UP’s other big man Stevens also delivered a double-double of 14 points—all in the second half—and 10 rebounds.
On the other hand for UE, Momowei ended the night with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks, while Wello Linglingo also had 18 points but struggled at 5-of-17 shooting.
John Abate also contributed 15 points, six assists, four steals, and three rebounds in a losing effort.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP Media Bureau
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