10 November 2018
By Maxine Louise Lagman
Manila, Philippines – For the first time in almost two decades, the University of the Philippines now have a fighting chance to make it to the Final Four after thrashing University of Santo Tomas, 83-69, in the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With the win, UP now stands at a 7-6 slate, which was their best outing since 2004, where they had a 7-7 win-loss record.
The Fighting Maroons were outscored all throughout the first half, with Marvin Lee and Renzo Subido raining three’s for the Growling Tigers.
It was until UST lost its super rookie CJ Cansino late in the second quarter due to what looked like a left knee injury, which changed the course of the game.
With Cansino out of the game, UP took this to their advantage and surged past the Growling Tigers with a 22-9 rally late in the third for a 76-59 lead in the payoff period.
UST tried to make a comeback, but their attempts to rain three’s or score under the basket was denied by UP’s strong defense.
In the end, Bright Akhuetie paved the way for UP with a towering double-double of 25 points and 18 rebounds, while team captain Paul Desiderio added 19 markers, eight boards and four dimes.
Juan Gomez De Liaño added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Meanwhile, Lee had 26 points and Subido added 22 in the losing effort. UST has now been eliminated from the Final Four run with a 5-8 win-loss record.
The Scores:
UP 83 – Akhuetie 25, Desiderio 19, Ju. Gomez de Liaño 11, Jaboneta 9, Murell 6, Manzo 5, Prado 3, Vito 3, Ja. Gomez de Liaño 2, Lim 0, Tungcab 0, Spencer 0, Española 0, Gozum 0, Longa 0.
UST 69 – Lee 26, Subido 22, Bataller 7, Mahinay 4, Marcos 3, Huang 2, Cansino 2, Caunan 2, Zamora 1, Agustin 0, Bonleon 0.
QUARTER SCORES: 19-22, 42-38, 63-54, 83-69
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