By Jun Ray Navarres
University of the Philippines opened its season with an emphatic demolition of Ateneo 77-61, at the start of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It was the Fighting Maroons commanding the ball game since the tip-off.
Ateneo managed to stay close at the first quarter, 17-16 but the experience and size advantage of UP forced the Blue Eagles to shoot only 28% at the half, trailing by 10, 40-30 after 20min of game time.
“We started out tight in the first half, but when we started moving the ball around, we found the rhythm we wanted and gained confidence as a team,” said Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
A more organized and efficient UP left the dugout for the third period, rotating the ball and finding better shot options. Meanwhile for Ateneo, their shooting percentages did not improve causing the lead to balloon, 58-45.
The Blue Eagles cut down the deficit to a single digit, 54-62 midway through the final quarter but JD Cagulangan and Francis Lopez of UP recovered with a 7-0 mini run to extend the lead back up to 15, 69-54.
Ateneo struggled desperately to fight back but was held down by the Fighting Maroons until the final buzzer.
Cagulangan finished with a near-perfect season opener of 17 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds, including two steals for a plus-19 rating in his 30 minutes on the floor.
“Nung first half may challenge kami na hinarap then after nung huddle namin sa halftime, laging sinasabi sa amin kung paano namin i-overcome ‘yung challenge na ‘yun kaya nakapag-respond kami nang maayos and nacontrol namin ‘yung game hanggang dulo,” said Cagulangan, who is in his final year with UP.
Last year’s Rookie of the Year Lopez provided an extra help of14 points, six rebounds, and two blocks.
Despite the loss of season 85 MVP Malick Diouf, UP found a reliable reinforcement in Quentin Millora-Brown, who tallied 17 rebounds, seven points, two blocks, and a plus-17 efficiency rating.
On the other hand, rookie Jared Bahay immediately found his role for the young Ateneo delivering 13 points despite struggling 3-11 from the field. Joshua Lazaro and Shawn Tuano each contributed 11 points.
Chris Koon left the game early and did not return after injuring his left ankle at the 3:11 mark of the second quarter.
UP now looks to continue their momentum on Saturday against the University of the East while Ateneo hopes to recover on Wednesday against the University of Santo Tomas, both at the Araneta Coliseum.
Images courtesy of UAAP Media Bureau
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