28 November 2018
By Maxine Louise Lagman
University of the Philippines has always been an underdog – but not this season.
After 32 years, the Fighting Maroons have climbed onto the top of the tournament ladder and defeated all odds as they bolted out of the blue and made history.
The sea of maroons chanted their name in all its glory as the UP knocked out twice-to-beat Adamson University in an overtime game that put basketball fans in a frenzy on Wednesday, 89-87, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Juan Gomez De Liano and Bright Akhuetie were a force to be reckoned with in the first half of the game as they led the Fighting Maroons fend off the gritty Soaring Falcons.
Juan GDL scored seven points off the bench in the first quarter that pushed the Maroons to a 10-point lead, 26-16. Most Valuable Player Akhuetie was all over the place as he knocked down baskets and grabbed rebounds that kept UP together until the second period.
However, Adamson did not earn their twice-to-beat advantage for nothing.
Thanks to team captain Sean Manganti, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Simon Camacho and Papi Sarr, the Soaring Falcons took a dominating 25-4 run and outscored UP in the third quarter to gain the lead, 67-64.
After a lot of lead changes and deadlocks, UP was still on top, 78-75.
However, Jerom Lastimosa knocked down a triple to tie the game at 78 and sent them to overtime. Adamson soared high coming into overtime as they led six points, 84-75.
But that was cut short after the trio of team captain Paul Desiderio, Juan GDL and Akhuetie scored back-to-back points for UP.
King Maroon Desiderio knocked down another trey for UP, 87-85, with only 27 seconds left in the clock. Adamson tied the game to 87-all, but Desiderio sank a short stab that gave them back the lead, 89-87.
With only six seconds left, Adamson went for Lastimosa once again, but his triple shot attempt bounced off the basket – giving the win to the Fighting Maroons.
Juan GDL paved the way for UP with a career-high 30 points on top of six rebounds, while Desiderio, who shot the crucial baskets, finished with a double-double record of 16 markers and 11 boards with four steals.
Big man Akhuetie also had a double-double of 13 points and 17 boards for the win.
On the other hand, Jerrick Ahanmisi led Adamson with 20 points, while Lastimosa chipped in 17 markers, seven boards and five assists.
Team captain Sean Manganti was cut short though, posting only six points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Scores:
UP 89 – Gomez de Liaño Ju. 30, Desiderio 16, Akhuetie 13, Gomez de Liaño Ja. 8, Tungcab 6, Prado 6, Dario 5, Manzo 4, Jaboneta 1, Lim 0, Vito 0.
Adamson 87 – Ahanmisi 20, Lastimosa 17, Sarr 16, Camacho 10, Pingoy 7, Manganti 6, Magbuhos V. 6, Espeleta 2, Mojica 2, Bernardo 1.
QUARTER SCORES: 26-16, 51-42, 64-67, 78-78, 89-87
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