By Maxine Louise Lagman
The Far Eastern University (FEU) and De La Salle University (DLSU) are back on the winning column, while the University of the East (UE) remains winless in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday, April 5 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
DLSU vs UST
DLSU bounced back after defeating University of Santo Tomas (UST), 75-66, on Tuesday, April 5.
Coming off from a loss to Ateneo, the Green Archers asserted their game against the Growling Tigers thanks to the leadership of Justin Baltazar, who led DLSU to a 17-point cushion, 42-27 at the half.
Bryan Santos tried to keep UST afloat with his three-point shooting that cut the deficit to seven in the final frame, but La Salle’s Michael Phillips helped the Archers keep the Tigers at bay with his second-chance possessions.
In the end, La Salle took their fourth win in five games, while UST suffered their third loss in the season after winning back-to-back games in the last two.
Baltazar finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while Kurt Lojera added 15 markers and three steals.
On the other hand, Joshua Fontanilla led UST with 20 points.
UP vs AdU
In a thrilling match between the University of the Philippines (UP) and Adamson University (AdU), the Fighting Maroons prevailed with a 73-71 win.
It was a tight match between the two teams. Up only by one, 63-62, rookie Carl Tamayo shot three consecutive baskets. Zavier Lucero and Ricci Rivero’s back-to-back shots then gave UP a 73-66 lead.
Adamson’s Didat Hanapi and Joshua Yerro cut UP’s lead 73-71, but this proved to be the squad’s last points as time ran out in their favor.
Lucero, who was celebrating his birthday during the game day, led UP with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Malick Diouf added a 16-point, 15-rebound double-double, while Carl Tamayo and Ricci Rivero contributed 11 and 10 markers, respectively to put UP at a 4-1 win-loss record in the team standings.
Jerom Lastimosa had a game-high 28 points, while Lenda Dounga had a double-double 16 points and 14 rebounds as they dropped to 1-4 record.
FEU vs UE
Xyrus Torres’ 8-of-15 shooting from deep paved the way for FEU to win against UE, 88-74, in Tuesday’s game.
FEU asserted their dominance in the game with a 20-6 lead from the get-go, and never looked back with a 23-point cushion, 45-22, early in the third period.
The Red Warriors, with Aevin Coquia leading the squad, rallied in the final frame, but fell short as the Tamaraws went on another back-to-back baskets to keep their 20-point lead in place, 78-58, with 4:35 left in the game.
Torres had 26 points for FEU, while Harvey Pagsanyan led UE with 23 markers, three rebounds, and three assists as they remain winless in five games.
NU vs ADMU
Defending champs Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) stays undefeated in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament after surviving the feisty National University (NU), 74-64.
The Blue Eagles looked to win the game easily after pulling away early with an 11-point lead, 25-14 in the second period.
NU’s Janjan Felicilda kept the Bulldogs close with a fastbreak layup that inched them closer to within one, 60-59, early in the fourth frame, but Ateneo unleased a 7-0 run that left NU for good.
Ange Kouame finished with a near triple-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds, and eight blocks, while Dave Ildefonso had a team-high 14 markers as Ateneo stays unbeaten with a 5-0 record.
On the other hand, Reyland Torres led NU with 14 points as they dropped to a 2-3 win-loss record to tie with FEU and UST in the team standings.
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